If you commute across the United States, you might’ve seen little cameras above traffic lights. They’re possibly automatic license plate readers (ALPR), a system of cameras and software that constructs records of vehicle activity. According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, this technology has been used by law enforcement for over two decades. However, recent technological advancements — including the use of machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) – can change how these systems operate.
Lee Schmidt and Crystal Arrington, a pair local to the Norfolk, Virginia area, also noticed these ALPR cameras on their regular driving routes. Wondering what the device was, Schmidt snapped a picture of one while at a stoplight and reached out to the local council to ask. The council replied, confirming that the cameras were a part of a Flock Safety camera system. Flock is an AI startup and the largest provider of ALPR systems throughout the United States. The company specializes in surveillance equipment, including body cameras and Drones as First Responders (DFR).
Flock holds a $2.2 million deal with the city of Norfolk for their ALPR camera system, which is just one of over 5,000 local police departments in the United States using Flock’s ALPRs. In 2023, more than 170 cameras were installed across Norfolk, continuously monitoring and tracking vehicles as they pass by. The Norfolk Chief of Police stated that it would be difficult to drive any distance across the city without encountering one of these cameras. As a result, the Institute for Justice, a non-profit public interest law firm, argues that this system could be a violation of the Fourth Amendment.
A court case emerged surrounding the Virginia police camera system
The Institute for Justice argues that the Fourth Amendment sets out to prevent the United States government from becoming a surveillance state, but that the Virginia police camera system is to surveil residents’ movements. Usually, traffic cameras would be triggered by the suspicion of a traffic law violation, but these ALPRs register every plate they detect to a database. No warrant or probable cause is used to justify this monitoring…