License plate readers made by the company Flock have been turned off in Tempe, and officials in Cave Creek say they have terminated the town’s contract with the tech company.
Tempe officials recently quit sharing data collected from the Flock system and said they would seek a new vendor for license plate readers.
Now, all Flock cameras in the city have been turned off. Tempe officials say they will not seek another company to replace the system.
In Cave Creek, officials say all Flock cameras were removed after one was stolen.
Town officials also say they ended the company’s contract after realizing local rules for protecting privacy won’t apply to a network designed to allow data sharing by police agencies.
More news on government surveillance in Arizona
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In the past month, four metro Phoenix police agencies have launched investigations into potential officer misuse of automated license plate readers. And the same number of Valley cities have shut off their systems or canceled contracts. -
The Surprise Police Department has cleared an officer after an investigation into suspected misuse of a Flock’s camera data. -
Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs and her gubernatorial opponent, GOP Congressman Andy Biggs, sparred at a public safety forum on Tuesday over his response to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. -
Youngtown, Arizona, has a Flock camera installed on almost every block. The town's mayor, Michael Lavault, says they've been great for stopping crime. -
Progressive nonprofit NextGen America shows that 85% of Arizonans are concerned of police misuse of Flock data. -
The Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board, or AZ-POST, has authority to decertify police officers. Officials in two cities say officers who resigned over use of license plate readers have been referred to the agency. -
In consecutive weekdays, four metro Phoenix police departments have announced internal investigations into misuse of controversial license plate readers, also known as LPRs.
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Investigations over Flock cameras in Arizona police departments are stacking up, and more cities and counties are pausing or changing their contracts. Sheriff Ross Teeple of Pinal County is one of them. -
Police departments in the East and West Valley this week have unveiled internal investigations into officer misuse of AI surveillance technology used to track license plates. -
Tempe says the change is in response to privacy concerns expressed by the community and recent incidents with the automated license plate readers.
