Legislation

On August 28, 2026, Governor Greg Abbott’s office confirmed that state agencies would pause state funding for Flock license plate reader cameras after two officer criminal cases. A former Katy police officer was indicted in Fort Bend County on stalkng and misuse-of-official-information charges; internal affairs records obtained by KHOU reportedly showed 2,386 searches of his ex-wife’s plate over 11 months. He was fired and has pleaded not guilty. A Lufkin officer was arrested by Texas Rangers on Aug. 20 and indicted on 100 felony counts of misuse of official information; Lufkin suspended its Flock use. The Texas Tribune reported a state agency has devoted at least $30 million in grants to local police for Flock cameras. Abbott’s spokesman said city funding mostly comes from the federal government, and state funds cannot be used for the cameras.

The Metro Nashville Police Department’s ‘Drone as First Responder’ trial program ended Friday, after operating for 30 flight days since May 26. Police spokesperson Brooke Reese confirmed the program ran on a loan basis with Skydio and without a signed contract. Councilmember Emily Benedict said the rollout involved ‘irregular timelines and murky legal footing,’ and that ‘It’s not right that taxpayer dollars are being handled this loosely.’ New legislation, BL2026-1498, would narrow the ‘temporary basis’ exemption that let the program launch without council vote, limiting such deployments to 30 days unless approved by resolution after a public hearing.

In August 2026, the Florida Department of Transportation revoked all existing approvals for automated license-plate-recognition systems installed by local law-enforcement agencies in state rights-of-way and stopped approving new requests. Agencies were given 30 days to remove the cameras, after which FDOT said it would remove any that remained. The department cited “concerning reports of misuse, data privacy concerns, and surveillance schemes” and “the recent exponential increase in deployments along our roadways.” Governor Ron DeSantis had said that without oversight the cameras threaten privacy. The order applies only to the State Highway System. WUFT reported on August 31, 2026 that all of Putnam County’s Flock cameras were being discontinued. No removal cost or refund figure was reported.

In August 2026, Milford, Connecticut, officials voted to consider a moratorium on Flock license-plate cameras after a raucous town meeting. Residents and candidates from both major parties opposed the cameras. Police chief Keith Mello proposed them and defended them. State Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff and State Senator James Maroney said residents deserve answers about who’s watching and why. Connecticut will survey camera use and regulations in 2027.

On June 9, 2026, the Edmonds City Council unanimously voted to cancel the city’s contract with Flock Safety for automated license plate readers. The mayor had attempted to cancel the contract on May 26 without council approval, a procedural error. The council cited a new state law imposing stricter record retention and audit requirements, liability concerns, and reports of federal agency access to ALPR networks. The contract originally approved in October 2024 for 19 cameras was funded by a $131,880 grant from the Washington Auto Theft Prevention Authority. Termination had no financial impact on the city. Edmonds is the third Snohomish County city to cancel its Flock contract.

In May 2026 Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Michael Herrod ruled that Senate Bill 1543, the Arizona law that removed Scottsdale voters’ ability to hold a referendum on Axon’s planned headquarters and housing project, is constitutional. A residents’ group, Taxpayers Against Awful Apartment Zoning Exemptions, had gathered enough signatures to put the rezoning on the ballot before the governor signed the bill. The law requires cities of 200,000 to 500,000 residents to allow hotel and multifamily housing on land zoned like the Axon parcel without a public hearing. Herrod wrote that the bill was clearly triggered by Axon’s zoning situation but, because it can apply in other cities, is not a special law. The group announced on June 1 that it would appeal. Scottsdale’s council voted 6-1 on September 12, 2025 to file a notice of claim against the state.

On March 3, 2026, the El Paso City Council had on its agenda File 26-0314, a discussion and action item directing the city manager to refrain from renewing existing agreements or entering new agreements with Flock Group Inc., operating as Flock Safety, for automated license plate recognition technology, and to refrain from using future grant awards or city funds for similar technology. The item excludes user-operated handheld or vehicle-mounted license plate readers for parking enforcement.

In November 2025, Skagit County Superior Court Judge Elizabeth Neidzwski ruled that Flock-generated images count as public records under Washington law even if police never download them. The ruling followed public records requests by Oregon man Jose Rodriguez, who submitted 53 requests between September 2024 and October 2025. The decision helped trigger Washington’s Driver Privacy Act, which took effect March 30, 2026, limiting retention and exempting ALPR data from public records requests.

On October 10, 2025 California’s governor signed Senate Bill 524, which requires police officers to disclose when generative AI tools such as Axon’s Draft One were used to write a report. The disclosure must appear at the bottom of each page of the report. Departments must preserve audit trails, including the original AI-generated draft and the body-camera footage or audio that informed it, so that judges, defense attorneys and auditors can see which portions were written by the officer and which by the software. The law bars vendors from selling or sharing the information agencies provide to the AI. It took effect January 1, 2026. By design, Draft One does not retain an edit log showing who wrote what.

On October 3, 2025, California Attorney General Rob Bonta sued the City of El Cajon, alleging the city refused to comply with state law by sharing automated license plate reader data with more than 100 out-of-state law enforcement agencies. California law limits ALPR data sharing to “public agencies,” which the attorney general’s October 2023 bulletin says excludes federal and out-of-state agencies. Since 2024 the office has sent letters to 18 California law enforcement agencies, including sheriff’s offices in Contra Costa, Sacramento and Riverside counties, over possible violations. On January 21, 2026, the attorney general filed a further motion in California v. City of El Cajon. In October 2025 Governor Newsom vetoed a bill that would have added new regulations on license plate readers.