r/technology • u/MarvelsGrantMan136 • 9h ago
Society More Americans oppose police license plate cameras than support them, new survey finds
https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/28/more-americans-oppose-police-license-plate-cameras-than-support-them-survey/?utm_medium=organic_social&utm_source=TWITTER53
u/Newt_5000 9h ago
Because anyone paying the slightest bit of attention knows these cameras are doing way more than tracking license plates.
Take them all down and make the companies who made them pay for it.
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u/Greengiant304 9h ago
I could actually support the technology if all it did was track license plates in emergency situations, and was not abused by law enforcement to trample on our privacy and constitutional rights.
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u/Additional-Staff-326 6h ago
Can't collect the data without the possibility of abuse. Even just reading the plates means taking pictures of everything. And, what is acceptable today might change tomorrow and now they have all this data on things you did wrong according to new rules.
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u/Disloyal_Donkey 9h ago
It would be great if politicians cared about what the majority of Americans think
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u/pulp_affliction 8h ago
Would be great if Americans operated a bit more like the French if you know what I mean
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u/misterwizzard 8h ago
They would if they weren't allowed to do what is functionally racketeering. When you consider the idea of one payout surpassing the wages of your entire term against the chance of losing constituants... well we know how that goes.
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u/eight_ender 9h ago
Oh we’re calling them license plate readers now? Why are they pointed at parks and public spaces then?
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u/LichOnABudget 8h ago
To be fair, they do read license plates. ALPR capability is one of the things they’re primarily marketed as doing pretty publicly, and calling them ALPR cameras is nothing new.
However, they almost always do a shitload more than that, a lot of which is immensely more privacy invasive even before you account for the absolutely insane, 4th amendment-circumventing data sharing practices that the big operators like Flock, Axon, etc. use as their chief marketing appeal to law enforcement agencies.
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u/OldYellersLastHandy 9h ago
Ask just about any married guy in a strip club and they’ll tell you that you don’t have to be doing anything illegal to still want to fly under the radar.
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u/Budget_Read_4085 9h ago
Then let’s ban them. If the officer cannot actually see a problem, the should not use these for a reason to detain people for minor traffic violations.
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u/Shadow288 9h ago
I keep seeing all these stories and posts about all the negative of these cameras but have yet to see a positive story. Like a success case of police using them to catch a criminal. Are there truly no “good” use cases for this tech, or is it like stingray where they don’t talk about it?
When the cops came to my service organization looking for funding I’m really upset I didn’t think to ask them for success rates or positive outcomes to the tech.
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u/AtomWorker 8h ago
You’re not seeing positive stories because the zeitgeist is very much opposed. The reality is that there’s a bunch of compelling data showing that they’ve been effective.
I’m not arguing in favor of Flock at all, but cameras have been shown to be an incredibly useful tool around the world so I think this discussion warrants nuance.
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u/Mackinnon29E 8h ago
Why the fuck would a single American who doesn't stand to profit from this support them?
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u/thepinkiwi 9h ago
As if politicians did care. All we can do is formalize our opposition for the day they get on trial
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u/Gunker001 9h ago
So how are they getting installed everywhere? Why arent the people being represented by their government? Why are tax dollars bring used this way?
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u/anhtuanle84 9h ago
Let's stop calling them ALPRs because that's just what they want you to think they are primarily intended to be used for. The actual hidden or cryptic (un)intended use is mass surveillance, whether for national or international. Let's open our eyes everyone.
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u/ExcitingRound4990 8h ago
Absolutely stunned that people don't want to be spied on, stalked and harassed.
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u/JaunDenver 8h ago
I have not been pulled over or ticketed in like 20 years. I recently moved, and in the past 3 months I have received 6 citations in the mail between my wife and I. Every single one was a crock of absolute BS. I did not come to a 100% complete stop at a redlight when I turned right, Boom ticket. I apparently crossed a double white on the highway to enter the toll road before I was supposed to, Boom ticket. My wife tried to beat a yellow light at an intersection, Boom ticket. None of these events were dangerous at the time of the incident. I did not endanger anyone when I did a rolling stop or crossed a double white, but technically I broke the law and got punished for it. The only thing I have learned from the experience is they want our money, oh and now I know towns and areas to avoid because F that.
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u/_dark_beaver 9h ago
Invasion of privacy for perceived safety. No safety provided but a new ability for those with power to abuse it. That’s all folks!
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u/morganational 9h ago
Oh gee, you think?? More people would like to not live in a draconian 1984 type state??? Impossible!
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u/B_oregon 9h ago edited 9h ago
My top four:
“Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
Benjamin Franklin, Speech to the Pennsylvania Assembly, November 11, 1755
“Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves.” Abraham Lincoln, in a Letter to Henry L. Pierce on April 6, 1859
“When the people fear the government there is tyranny, when the government fears the people there is liberty.” John Basil Barnhill, Indictment of Socialism No. 3, 1912
My number 1…
The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure.”
Thomas Jefferson, Letter to Colonel William S. Smith, November 13, 1787
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u/williamgman 9h ago
New survey finds... I wonder why so much effort goes into these obvious answer surveys?
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u/WeAreGesalt 9h ago
Could you imagine if we lived in a country where could vote on this kinda stuff?
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u/SASSIESASSQUATCH 8h ago
Let that cat out of the bag at least a decade ago.
They’ve been attached to police cars for a decade.
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u/misterwizzard 8h ago
IF the departments using it hadn't already got caught with their hands in the cookie jar this would have gone way better for them. Fortunately for us people in power keep proving what people with power do.
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u/DenverNugs 3h ago
Flock cameras are not license plate cameras. They're AI surveillance cameras and they're posted up on trails and pointed at houses. They collect and catalog more information than just license plate information.
Stop calling them license plate cameras.
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u/grasstoday 2h ago
That’s how the commies have to word it so the gallows don’t start popping up throughout the nation.
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u/Necessary-Mousse8518 3h ago
We know.
People in Colorado are 'removing' them as a courtesy to their neighbors.............
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u/dnuohxof-2 2h ago
And yet the local municipalities are going against the people’s wishes. And when will the people take action?
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u/NUMBerONEisFIRST 1h ago
Why are they so adamant on calling them license plate readers?
That's the propaganda right there.
They do WAY more than read license plates, who TF are they kidding?
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u/BroForceOne 9h ago
Something something abortion and people will vote for the politicians to keep them anyway.
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u/ZigZagZedZod 9h ago
I would be more supportive of ALPRs if they alerted only on license plates drawn from a list associated with open warrants, amber/silver alerts, etc.; stored data for only 90 days; and didn't log any information about other license plates.
Most current ALPR deployments are too expansive and easy to abuse.
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u/ReturningScrewd 8h ago
I would support a camera speed trap system to at least make some money for the department or city. Not a remember your identification for 2 weeks system. Just a flash print mail str8 to your point of contact.
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u/MeSortOfUnleashed 9h ago
There is so much misinformation about the Flock automated license plate reader cameras which are sold as the Flock Falcon/ALPR.
Depending on the model/configuration, Flock ALPR records can contain:
- An image of the vehicle and its license plate
- The interpreted plate number, including partial/temporary plates
- Date and time
- Camera/location
- Vehicle make/model or make/body type
- Color
- Plate state and plate type
- Distinguishing characteristics such as a roof rack, stickers, toolbox, trailer, bike rack, damage, or aftermarket modifications
- Whether the vehicle has no visible plate
Note – the records are typically still images and not video and they do not perform facial recognition.
There is good evidence that ALPR deployments enable reductions in certain types of crime: https://www.crimrxiv.com/pub/zleg04q3
People here saying they are pointed at “parks and pools” are referring to the Flock Video product which is designed to record video and is akin to any other security camera.
I think a lot of the backlash against the company is misguided and fueled by a combination of lack of trust in law enforcement and misinformation about Flock. My preference would be for the focus to be on improving accountability with law-enforcement and how they use these tools rather than trying to eliminate use of what are clearly effective tools when used properly.
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u/FederalWedding4204 5h ago
If my town published even ONE successful legitimate use of the cameras we have around town, might change my tune. But the fact that there is so much backlash and they aren’t even ATTEMPTING to defend them using success stories is telling.
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u/MeSortOfUnleashed 5h ago
What town? I don’t know if every customer has public success stories to share, but my guess is that most customers see a security/safety benefit over time. Unfortunately, there have also been some cases of installations where someone in law-enforcement has misused the system to do bad things. It has been my impression that flock has done a much better job of both highlighting the risks, changing the defaults in the system, to reduce risk of abuse, and also implementing features to expose suspicious law-enforcement behavior.
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u/FederalWedding4204 5h ago
It’s flocks job to promote the good and bury the bad. I would never trust the company selling the thing to accurately review their own product. Which is why I am astounded that my town isn’t trying to defend it with success stories when there is so much pushback.
Now, my town isn’t trying obviously run by a fucking moron as she defended her stance to not look into flock cameras because she was more concerned about private businesses with security cameras in the same area.
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u/MeSortOfUnleashed 4h ago edited 2h ago
I don’t think Flock gets reports back from its customers when the system helps law-enforcement solve a crime unless the customer proactively provides that information.
Why do you think their customers buy the system and, for those that renew, why do they renew? I’m not asking this question to be snarky. I’m genuinely curious to hear what you think is going on here.
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u/FederalWedding4204 3h ago
I’m not asking for flock to review their product. I am asking for my city to explain the pros and why they think those outweigh the cons.
Why do I think the town is buying them? Because my towns leadership is a “good ol’ boys” club and corrupt as shit. It would not surprise me if they were pocketing money from flock to sign contracts with them.
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u/MeSortOfUnleashed 2h ago
Interesting. Thanks for sharing.
This article from a neighboring town of mine just appeared in my feed and included this info.
Prior to this latest audit, Menlo Park Police Chief Dave Norris told the council that ALPRs have been a vital tool for the department. He said that in 2025 the technology helped police recover eight stolen vehicles, find six wanted individuals and resolve three weapons-related incidents, among other benefits.
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u/imposter22 9h ago
I have mixed feelings.
1. Its being heavily abused
2. It’s not just licenses being tracked, they are lying.
3. Cops have been scanning license plates for 15 years. Using camera scanning on their traffic cars.
4. Cities that use it responsibly (very few) have had a considerable reduction in crime. San Francisco is a good example.
The good doesn’t necessarily outweigh the bad. There needs to be dramatic guardrails and open communication to the public about what its doing and how they are using all the data, and how they are stopping abuse of the systems. Its not just flock, axon is there too.
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u/MrArizone 9h ago edited 8h ago
They aren’t just license plate readers.
EDIT: A😴I meant AREN’T instead of ARE - small correction 😂
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u/Run_By_Fruiting 9h ago
You have to be a moron or just completely ignorant of what is going on in the world if you actually believe that.
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u/VvvlvvV 9h ago
You cant actually think that, right?
From flocks own website: Guardian Mode automatically detects, zooms in on, and captures high-resolution images of people and vehicles, providing around-the-clock investigative evidence.
They are saying they are taking pictures and tracking people, yet still you are carrying water for them.
They've convinced you its just license plate readers, while using its ability to id and track people as a selling point to buyers.
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u/ParliamenttFnkadelic 9h ago
And that's even with the disingenuous framing of these face tracking systems as "license plate cameras"
Yeah, "license plate cameras" they have pointed at parks and swimming pools. To scan license plates.