The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office in Arizona will not renew its contract with Flock Safety for automated license plate readers after Sheriff Ross Teeple raised concerns that the technology could lead to serious Fourth Amendment violations.
The Fourth Amendment protects people in the United States from unreasonable searches and seizures by the government. Flock’s automated license plate readers have faced growing scrutiny as privacy advocates and members of the public raise concerns about how the technology collects, stores, and shares vehicle data.
Reports of Flock cameras being vandalized have also emerged in several states, reflecting growing concerns that widespread use of the technology could contribute to a broader surveillance state.
The privacy concerns have intensified following allegations that police officers used Flock’s database for personal purposes, including instances in which officers reportedly used the system to track or stalk women.
“I Swore an Oath to the Constitution”
Teeple shared a video on social media, announcing the decision not to renew the Flock contract. He said:
“I just notified the board of supervisors and the citizens of Pinal County that we are not renewing our Flock contract. I have serious Fourth Amendment concerns with some of the technology that is contained in those cameras, whether we have access to it or not.
“I swore an oath to the Constitution and will protect your individual liberties until the day I die. It’s an honor to serve.”
SanTanValley explained that Flock cameras are automated license plate readers (ALPRs), designed to capture images of vehicle license plates as cars pass by. But Teeple said he does not consider the basic collection of publicly visible license plates to be the main issue.
Pinal Country Sheriff Ross Teeple announces they will NOT be renewing their Flock mass surveillance camera contract due to 4th amendment violation concerns.
Pinal County is just South of Phoenix, AZ and home to almost half a million people. pic.twitter.com/rtxIaLmdRJ
— Orwell Day (@OrwellDay) August 6, 2026
Teeple Revealed the Real Problem With Modern ALPRs
What concerns Teeple is the range of additional capabilities built into newer surveillance systems. Some of the cameras can now provide live video feeds, store footage, and use facial recognition and AI-powered pattern analysis.
These tools could be used to track a person’s movements and build a detailed picture of where they travel over time, raising broader questions about privacy and government surveillance. Teeple said:
“We have a camera system that can do facial recognition technology, pattern recognition technology, and can start building a data set on what our citizens are doing on a day-to-day basis.”
What raised further alarms, according to Teeple, was that the county’s IT staff confirmed that some previously reported data breaches connected to the technology had indeed occurred, raising further questions about data security.
That prompted Teeple to seek answers from the vendor’s regional representative as he looked into the cameras and their security. However, Teeple claimed that the representative later told him he had been dismissed from the company. The sheriff said:
“So I thought that was very telling.”
LAPD Decided Not to Extend Flock Camera Contract
The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office is not the only agency taking this step. Guessing Headlights reported last month that the Los Angeles Police Department has decided not to extend the three-year contract that began in 2023 with Flock Safety.
The LAPD let its previous contract with Flock Safety expire, and a new agreement had not been signed. Police said the cameras helped track suspects by capturing images of vehicles and their license plates.
Addressing the point about data, the LAPD confirmed that the cameras were audited for compliance. Data was stored for seven to thirty days before being deleted.
However, amid residents’ concerns about how their data was being used and claims that the technology violated privacy rights, the LAPD decided not to extend the Flock contract. Dean Gialamas, LAPD’s chief information officer, said:
“This contract is not being renewed because of serious concerns around civil liberties and civil rights issues, particularly around privacy and the data that is being collected from these cameras.
“The LAPD had to make a difficult decision, in this case discontinuing use of Flock services until we can get those data, privacy, security, and sharing concerns ironed out through a contractual relationship.”
However, a new contract is still possible, as the police department suggested it had not shut the door on Flock just yet, offering the company a chance to address data privacy concerns before entering a new agreement.