Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd addressed the debate surrounding automated license plate readers on Tuesday, calling the technology the single best tool law enforcement has ever had to protect the public and locate missing individuals.
His remarks in a video statement followed a written memorandum from the Florida Department of Transportation on Monday, August 31, 2026, which revoked permits for automated license plate readers (ALPRs) located on state highway rights-of-way. While the sheriff confirmed his agency has started removing the units from state property within the required 30-day window, he strongly defended the continued use of Flock cameras on local roads.
Judd pushed back against privacy concerns raised by critics, arguing that license plate readers are far less intrusive than other widely accepted government monitoring tools, such as body-worn cameras…