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Calling on the General Assembly and Senate of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to pass bipartisan legislation to ban the use of Automatic License Plate Reader (ALPR) cameras like Flock cameras across the Commonwealth and ban or develop strong guardrails for the use of automatic license plate reader technology.
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WHERAS, Automatic License Plate Readers (ALPRs), an emerging technology that can easily capture images; use AI to determine vehicles’ license plate numbers, makes, models, and unique features like bumper stickers and dents; and create and transmit searchable vehicle location databases; has come under increased scrutiny as the rapid spread of this still largely unregulated technology has raised concerns about data security and civil liberties, as a result of evidence that private tech companies who operate the cameras share data between municipal law enforcement and federal agencies including ICE; and
WHEREAS, ALPRs differ from automated traffic enforcement cameras, like speed cameras, red light cameras, and toll cameras. Traffic enforcement cameras are triggered by a specific action (such as driving faster than the speed limit); whereas ALPRs are significantly more invasive by constantly recording, tracking the movements of everything that enter their field of view, and saves data to be shared with mass surveillance databases; and
WHEREAS, Since June 2025, approximately 200 municipalities and 20 police departments throughout the United States have cancelled or refused to initiate contracts with the automatic license plate reader (“ALPR”) company Flock Safety (“Flock”) because of concerns about the company’s ethics, operational standard, and respect for privacy, including concerns about misuse of the technology by individuals; and
WHEREAS, Flock has misled its customers and the public in responding to legitimate concerns, such as stating publicly that the company has no contract with ICE, and federal agencies were removed from its nationa...
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