Surveillance in the news
Coverage worth your attention, from outlets around the country. Every item links to the original reporting, and the outlet is named on the card. Some items carry a short note on why the story matters.
- Cascadia Daily News
Washington's new plate reader law limits searches to serious crimes, cuts retention to 21 days, and requires a warrant for data from privately owned cameras. The day after it was signed, Bellingham police ended the agreements that gave them access to Flock cameras in the Lowe's and Home Depot parking lots.
Whatcom County, WA License plate readers Flock Safety archived copy
- Berkeleyside
The police department reported to the city council that its plate readers figured in 121 cases and 58 arrests. Residents and officials are questioning how well the collected data is protected.
Alameda County, CA License plate readers License plate readers [Berkeley Police] Flock Safety archived copy
- CalMatters
Senate Bill 1013 would cap plate reader data retention at 30 days, control who can search the data, and bar contracts that give federal agencies default access to local plate databases. Governor Newsom vetoed a similar measure in 2025.
California License plate readers Flock Safety archived copy
- Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago ended its ShotSpotter contract and set aside $13.9 million across two budgets for replacement gunshot detection. Nine vendors responded, and council members say procurement has yet to choose one; officials told a hearing the process can take two years.
- Chicago Sun-Times
Evanston dropped its cameras after data went to federal immigration agents and out-of-state prosecutors, while nearby towns are adding more. Illinois police can search the system without a warrant.
License plate readers Flock Safety
- Electronic Frontier Foundation
As of February 2026, the FAA had issued more waivers for automated drone-as-first-responder programs since April 2025 than in the seven years before. EFF warns that a drone flying to a call records yards and windows a patrol car never passes.
- Associated Press
Flock says it will recommend a seven-day retention default for plate reader data and will make its search audit tool mandatory for law enforcement customers by January 1. More than 50 communities have canceled, suspended or rejected Flock contracts since the start of 2026.
License plate readers Flock Safety archived copy
- CNN
Authorities say the officer ran more than 2,000 Flock searches over five months to track two vehicles registered to his child's mother, logging them as a narcotics investigation. Flock's own audit tool flagged the searches.
License plate readers Flock Safety
- RANGE Media
Cars on almost any major road into the county are photographed, with the sheriff's office running the county's largest network and more cameras planned across the region's small cities. The series documents who can search the data and how long it is kept.
Spokane County, WA License plate readers License plate readers [Spokane County Sheriff] Flock Safety archived copy
- KQED
Santa Clara County, CA License plate readers Flock Safety archived copy
- KQED
The decision came after the city learned that out-of-state agencies had searched its camera data about 4,000 times between June and October 2025, many of the searches on behalf of federal immigration enforcement. State law bars sharing plate data with federal and out-of-state agencies.
Santa Cruz County, CA License plate readers License plate readers [Santa Cruz Police] Flock Safety archived copy
- InvestigateWest
After a November ruling classed the captured images as public records, a bipartisan bill moved to restrict where the cameras can go and who can request the data. The sponsors point to police use of the system for immigration enforcement, and to stalking cases in other states.
Washington License plate readers Flock Safety archived copy
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