Two senators from opposite parties are calling on the Justice Department to step in and set guardrails for automated license plate readers (ALPRs), a surveillance technology that has sparked growing backlash nationwide.
In a letter sent Monday, Sens. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) and Katie Britt (R-Ala.) asked Attorney General Todd Blanche to issue guidance to state and local law enforcement on preventing misuse of ALPRs and to disclose how the department funds and oversees such systems. The lawmakers also want details on any DOJ use of the technology.
“While law enforcement agencies around the country appropriately use ALPR for legitimate public safety purposes including the investigation of violent crime and the location and recovery of missing and abducted persons, misuse of these systems undermines the public’s confidence in the technology,” the senators wrote.
They specifically requested “information about the DOJ funding and oversight of such systems to prevent such misuse and ensure compliance with applicable federal statutes and regulations.”
The letter singles out Flock Safety, the company behind a network of more than 120,000 cameras across the country that has become a flashpoint in the debate. Flock’s readers capture not just license plates but also vehicle details—make, model, color, bumper stickers, decals, and other accessories—to create what the company calls a “vehicle signature.” The company says it does not use facial recognition or biometric data.
Recent reporting has exposed repeated instances of law enforcement officers abusing Flock or other ALPR systems. An investigation by The Washington Post found that more than 50 officers had been accused, charged, or convicted of misusing the technology to spy on exes or romantic interests. That pattern has fueled concerns that the systems are vulnerable to stalking and harassment.
“We are deeply concerned about the misuse of ALPR systems and believe that appropriate safeguards are necessary to protect against unauthorized access and abuse, including by individuals who might misuse the technology to stalk and harass their victims,” Warnock and Britt wrote. “We also want to ensure that funding of these technologies is paired with appropriate oversight to ensure that the funding is not used to facilitate such abuse.”
The push for oversight comes as policymakers across the political spectrum have raised alarms about the privacy implications of ALPRs. The issue has gained traction on the right, energizing privacy-conscious conservatives despite the party’s traditional support for law and order. The extent of federal agencies’ use of ALPRs remains unclear; a Government Accountability Office report last year revealed that Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Secret Service had agreements to query or view data from third-party ALPR networks.
In addition to funding questions, the senators asked Blanche to detail what “grant oversight and accountability” mechanisms the DOJ has in place to address potential misuse, and whether the agency has policies governing the collection, storage, and access of ALPR data.
The letter was sent just two days before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism is set to hold a hearing on Flock’s “nationwide AI surveillance network.” Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said he invited the CEOs of Flock and other ALPR firms to testify, but as of Tuesday afternoon none appeared on the witness list. The Hill has reached out to the DOJ and Flock for comment.
As scrutiny intensifies, lawmakers are also weighing broader questions about how automated license plate readers work and what data they collect. Some states and localities have already moved to restrict or ban the technology, reflecting a patchwork of rules that critics say leaves gaps in privacy protection.
