07/20/2026
A proposed law aims to criminalize the unauthorized installation of private license plate readers, turning unapproved local surveillance into a felony for public officials.
Across 49 states, over 100,000 automated license plate readers run by private vendor Flock Safety scan roughly 20 billion plates a month, often deployed without public or legislative consent.
In most cities, these highly invasive surveillance systems are installed quietly through administrative agreements or free trials signed off by police chiefs and city managers, bypassing elected officials entirely. The real-world consequences of this unchecked tracking are growing: federal and out-of-state agencies have run millions of unauthorized searches on local databases, scanning the movements of citizens who are suspected of no crimes.
While over 50 cities have successfully canceled their contracts, hundreds of others continue to join the network daily.
To address this massive gap in public oversight, a newly proposed model law—the Automated License Plate Surveillance Consent and Accountability Act—aims to criminalize unauthorized camera installations.
Unlike existing state regulations that only manage data after it is collected, this groundbreaking model legislation targets the initial deployment decision itself. It requires a formal public ordinance, a recorded council vote, and prior public hearings before any cameras can be deployed. Under this proposal, officials who bypass the public process would face up to five years in prison, while non-compliant vendors could be sued by affected drivers for $1,000 to $5,000 per unauthorized scan. By turning unauthorized local surveillance into a felony, this framework empowers residents to reclaim their constitutional right to privacy.
source: Armitage, C. (2026). DEFLOCK: Cities and States Are Fighting Back and Winning. Here's The Law That Makes Flock Cameras A Felony. The Existentialist Republic.
