Cities Ditch Atlanta Firm's License Plate Readers Over Immigration Surveillance Fears

Residents in some cities are urging local leaders to stop using Flock Safety's technology, citing concerns about mass surveillance and federal deportation efforts.

Published on Feb. 25, 2026

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As President Trump's immigration enforcement has escalated, residents in various American cities are urging local leaders to stop using license plate readers made by Atlanta-based Flock Safety, citing fears of mass surveillance and concerns that local data could be aiding federal deportation efforts. Some cities, including liberal college towns, have already deactivated their Flock cameras or canceled contracts with the company over these concerns.

Why it matters

The use of automatic license plate readers has exploded across the country in recent years, with police praising the technology for helping solve crimes. However, some communities are now pushing back, worried that the data collected by Flock's AI-powered cameras could be accessed by federal immigration authorities and used for deportation efforts, going against their local values and policies.

The details

Flock Safety operates a national network of license plate data that police can query to track vehicle locations. While Flock says cities control their data sharing settings, some officials have later realized their data was being shared more broadly than expected, including with federal agencies like U.S. Border Patrol and Homeland Security Investigations. This has led to growing community concerns and efforts to end contracts with Flock, even after the company made changes to 'strengthen sharing controls'.

  • In August 2025, Flock admitted to having pilot programs with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations.
  • In October 2025, Flock introduced keyword filters and a dropdown menu to try to address concerns about immigration-related searches.
  • On January 7, 2026, the killing of Renee Macklin Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis was a turning point for some officials like Santa Cruz councilmember Susie O'Hara.
  • On January 13, 2026, the Santa Cruz city council voted to end their Flock contract less than two years after it began.

The players

Flock Safety

An Atlanta-based company that makes AI-powered license plate reader cameras and operates a national network of license plate data that police can query.

Will Freeman

A Colorado-based activist who opposes the Flock cameras and runs the DeFlock.me website, which has mapped the locations of more than 76,000 license plate readers across the country.

Becky Daggett

The mayor of Flagstaff, Arizona, which voted to end its Flock contract after the community lost trust in the technology.

Susie O'Hara

A city council member in Santa Cruz, California, who grew increasingly concerned about her city's Flock cameras and the potential for the data to be used for federal immigration enforcement.

Garrett Langley

The CEO of Flock Safety, who has criticized activists opposing the company's technology as 'terroristic' and accused them of wanting to 'defund the police' and 'normalize lawlessness'.

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What they’re saying

“We do not support AI mass surveillance as the current federal administration is gathering and weaponizing data.”

— Michele James, Flagstaff resident

“In the end, it was just clear that this wasn't going to be a technology that was going to be well received or that we could continue to use.”

— Becky Daggett, Mayor of Flagstaff (NPR)

“I was very dissatisfied with a multibillion dollar company continuing to make mistakes and putting our local data at risk — and really against our Santa Cruz values.”

— Susie O'Hara, Santa Cruz city council member (NPR)

“What we are seeing here is a group of local citizens who are raising concerns that we could be potentially surveilling private citizens, residents and visitors and using the data for nefarious purposes. This is democracy in action.”

— Jim Williams, Police Chief in Staunton, Virginia (Staunton news release)

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow Walker Reed Quinn out on bail.

The takeaway

This case highlights growing concerns in the community about repeat offenders released on bail, raising questions about bail reform, public safety on SF streets, and if any special laws to govern autonomous vehicles in residential and commercial areas.