Florida to remove all Flock cameras from state highway roads
Florida's Department of Transportation has revoked the use permits for Flock cameras within the right-of-way of roads on the state highway system, citing an increase in reports of misuse of the system.
The department said it will cease the issuance of all permits in any future requests for license plate reader systems within its jurisdictional authority, according to a memorandum shared with ABC News.
"While Florida law limits the issuance of permits for LPR systems to law enforcement agencies, the recent exponential increase in deployments along our roadways, coupled with concerning reports of misuse, data privacy concerns, and surveillance schemes merit immediate action to preserve Floridians' sovereignty and quality of life," Will Watts, the chief operating officer and assistant secretary of Transportation, wrote in the memo on Monday.
The DOT revoked all license plate reader-related approvals issued to local law enforcement agencies, according to the memo.
Flock Safety did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment on the news.
The cameras must be removed by the parties that sought the permits within 30 days. Any cameras not removed by then will be removed by the DOT, according to the memo.
Several members of law enforcement have been fired and are facing criminal charges over the misuse of the Flock system in recent weeks.
Last month, a Massachusetts town said it has cut ties with Flock Safety and removed Flock automated license plate readers after an officer allegedly used the surveillance system to get information on someone they know.
A Louisiana police department also fired an officer in a separate case in which the officer used the surveillance cameras to get information on someone they know.
Flock cameras capture the license plates and characteristics of all passing vehicles, according to the company.
Backlash over alleged misuse of the system, led to Flock announcing changes last month, including requiring a criminal case number for database searches and promising to delete camera data after seven days instead of 30.
