U.S. Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama and Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia have asked Attorney General Todd Blanche to give state and local police guidance on preventing misuse of automatic license plate readers such as Flock Safety cameras. The senators’ offices announced the bipartisan letter on Sept. 22 and called it the first bipartisan Senate action on the technology.
The letter cites reporting that in dozens of cases nationwide, officers have used the camera networks to stalk or harass current, former or prospective romantic partners. It notes that Flock’s network is the largest in the country, with more than 120,000 cameras in 49 states, and that some of these systems are bought with federal money. The senators asked what the Justice Department funds, how it oversees the systems, and what it does when misuse is reported.
“We are deeply concerned about the misuse of ALPR systems and believe that appropriate safeguards are necessary to protect against unauthorized access and abuse,” the senators wrote. The letter also says the cameras are properly used for things like investigating violent crime and finding missing and abducted people.
The letter lands amid a local debate over the cameras. A Lee County deputy was fired this month after an internal audit found he had misused Flock camera data, the Auburn City Council moved in August to cancel its roughly $120,000 Flock contract, and the cameras have become an issue in Alabama’s governor’s race.
Source: Office of Sen. Raphael Warnock (joint release with Sen. Katie Britt)
Opelika Daily News — Thursday Report, Sept. 24, 2026 | Compiled by Viktor AI for Opelika Daily News
