INSIDE COMPLIANCE

In 2017, three Georgia Tech University graduates sought to create a dynamic automated license plate reader (ALPR) system to combat unsolved crimes in their community. Today, their company, Flock Safety, has rolled out more than 100,000 ALPRs in 6,000 communities across the United States. Additionally, as of August 9, 2026, the surveillance equipment company has solidified partnerships with nearly 5,000 law enforcement agencies. Partners of Flock Safety enjoy unfettered access to the company’s AI-powered database, where individual ALPRs record and upload traffic data into a searchable catalog of license plate numbers and other automobile identification markers, such as make, model, color, and even unique characteristics like scratches on automobiles. While ALPRs have historically been employed to regulate traffic safety and crime, Flock Safety has distinguished itself by allowing partnered law enforcement agencies the ability to provide government organizations access to data gathered on individuals across the country. Critics of the Flock Safety surveillance system note that the manipulation of such a sensitive compilation of data allows virtually any Flock Safety partner to surveil American citizens without a uniform system of compliance to regulate their access. Ultimately, the absence of federal regulation to restrain the authority of AI-powered ALPR systems allows both local law enforcement and federal agencies to abuse their access to these systems and violate the privacy of U.S. citizens.