Lee County residents raise privacy concerns about Flock camera tech

LEE COUNTY, Fla. —

For many Lee County residents, questions linger each time they pass new cameras mounted along busy roadways and neighborhood streets.

“I never noticed this. This is pretty new. I don't know how long it's been sitting here,” said Ashlee Pimentel, a Cape Coral resident, looking up at a pole-mounted device near her home.

The cameras are automated license plate readers installed across parts of Cape Coral over the past year. Operated by Atlanta-based Flock Safety, the devices capture images of passing vehicles and record license plate numbers. The technology is intended to help law enforcement identify cars connected to crimes.

For some residents, however, the growing network has sparked concerns about privacy and government overreach.

“It’s a company who did it? Who? We don't know who it is and they can just be reading our license plate,” Pimentel said. “Once you explain deep into it now, it's kind of weird.”

Gulf Coast News first reported on the cameras in November. At the time, Flock Safety spokesperson Paris Lewbel said the system was helping agencies solve crimes and locate missing people.

“It is absolutely making a difference,” Lewbel said. “It's not only helping police officers solve crimes in their jurisdiction, but it's also helping reunite families with missing people.”

After that report, residents contacted Gulf Coast News expressing concerns about what they described as an invasion of privacy.

“I’m disappointed that it’s being used to collect personal information,” said Kent Swick, a seasonal Cape Coral resident. “Right now, I think it’s overkill.”

Alex Rodriguez of Lehigh Acres said he supports the technology in serious cases but worries about its limits.

“If it’s for law enforcement to catch somebody who is abducting someone, to follow a lead on a bank robbery — we all agree with it,” Rodriguez said. “But what if it’s just, we want to know who was where at what time? Is that not government infringing on your civil liberties?”

Gulf Coast News contacted every law enforcement agency in Lee County to ask whether they use the cameras, how they operate and who controls the data. Each agency declined interview requests, and Fort Myers police did not respond. Cape Coral police, Sanibel police and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office confirmed they use license plate readers.

The sheriff’s office said the technology has played a significant role in solving crimes, including homicides, violent offenses and sex crimes.

In one case last April, deputies said Lukas Carlton was accused of fatally stabbed his mother at a Lehigh Acres home and fleeing. Investigators said license plate reader cameras tracked his vehicle across the state, leading to his arrest in Pasco County.

Civil liberties advocates say that even if the cameras help solve crimes, the data collection raises broader concerns.

“I think we all understand that not every law enforcement agency in the nation is going to have the same principles, standards that our local communities have,” said Chad Marlow, senior policy counsel with the American Civil Liberties Union.

Marlow said stored data could also be vulnerable to unauthorized access.

“We don’t like them having that information,” he said. “And then there’s a whole other category of people who are not authorized to get the information, but manage to get it anyway — that’s kind of the hacker scenario.”

Flock Safety said in a statement that each customer agency “fully owns and controls 100% of its data” and decides if, when and with whom information is shared. By default, vehicle data is automatically deleted after 30 days unless local law or policy requires otherwise.

The company said all data is encrypted using AES-256 standards and that Criminal Justice Information Services data is stored within Amazon Web Services’ CJIS-compliant GovCloud.

For Pimentel, the issue remains complicated.

“Honestly, yeah,” she said when asked if she feels violated. “I feel like it’s 50/50 — it could be used for good and it could be used for bad.”

Swick said residents simply want more transparency.

“Personal information is personal information,” he said, “and it should stay that way.”

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