Manhattan Institute's @CharlesFLehman on why the Flock ALPR backlash is misframed: the Supreme Court has long said you don't have a right to privacy in public, especially not on a public thoroughfare "Flock is an automatic license plate reader. A camera that takes pictures of your license plate and puts that information into the database. Flock has built the largest network of these, used by something like 5,000 police departments." "There are people who look at this and go, we need to destroy these cameras. We need to ban their use. There are several bills in Congress trying to do that. We need to physically tear them down, which some people are trying to do." "The reality is that the Supreme Court has long said you don't, as a general matter, have a right to privacy in public, and you especially don't have a right to privacy on a public thoroughfare in what your government-issued license plate is doing at any one time. You gotta balance that against there are real crime-reducing benefits." @ManhattanInst

This might be the best case to ban all ALPR Cameras after flock cameras just ruined an innocent Florida woman’s life. Cops used one ALPR hit to pin a triple-fatal hit-and-run on 23-year-old Lindsey Isaacs. Seized her undamaged black Durango, claimed “damage,” then arrested her 6 months later after she sued to get it back. She sat in jail 13 days facing life in prison. They ignored the maroon paint transfer, the partial plate that didn’t match, the airbag that never deployed, and witnesses. Just took the first Durango Flock flagged. 7 months of hell. Charges finally dropped when they got the actual driver.

My PRIVACY Act bans federal funding to purchase or install intrusive technologies—including Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) like Flock and Axon cameras. Americans shouldn’t be forced to bankroll spyware that violates their rights.

Needham on $AXON (Buy, PT $750): "Below, we highlight in detail challenges that have emerged in recent months around the fixed ALPR (Automatic License Plate Reading) camera market on a nationwide basis following public outcry related to data sharing and governance policies for law enforcement's use of these cameras. The net result is we expect the fixed ALPR market to dry up for 2026 and likely 2027 until vendors and law enforcement can convince citizens their data sharing and governance strategies protect individuals' rights and liberties consistent with the US Constitution. Importantly, we don't view ALPR as key for Axon to hit their 2026 guidance or 2028 financial targets. Flock ALPR contract cancellations have surged in 2026 following public outcry. Our research indicates switching to Axon fixed ALPR cameras is limited; the greater signal is a total shutdown of cameras. Based on our research, we believe only a handful of customers have actually switched to Axon ALPR cameras. Will fixed ALPR challenges bleed into concern over RTCC? We don't expect there to be a carryover impact to the rapid rise in RTCC software nationwide, but it will remain a risk to monitor. ALPR is not needed for Axon to hit their 2028 targets. In our view, we believe the fixed ALPR opportunity was a relatively modest calculus to the company's latest three-year model. Axon's diversification positions for competitive strengthening vs. Flock Safety. We believe Axon can accelerate market share gains relative to Flock Safety in products like RTCC and drones where they overlap due to Axon's stronger brand reputation and ecosystem diversification that can serve a range of customer needs." Analyst: Joshua Reilly