SWFL.io - Local NewsEvan Dean
•7/20/2026
On the Gulf Coast, people are noticing more of a certain type of camera alongside the road.
They are usually mounted on poles – often with a small solar panel on top.
The cameras are automated license plate readers, or ALPRs. Most are made by a company called Flock Safety, though other companies produce them as well.
The cameras capture images of the backs of vehicles: the plates, make, model, color and even unique details.
That information goes into a database, part of which can be searched by police to find vehicles involved in crimes.
There are more than just a handful of these cameras on the Gulf Coast. At some intersections, they are now on every single corner.
WEBSITE MAPS LOCATION OF FLOCK CAMERAS
Will Freeman is working to find out how many license plate readers are out there – and where.
"They just collect massive amounts of data," Freeman said. "The government should not be in the data collection business beyond what's necessary for them to function."
Freeman created an app and website called DeFlock, which uses crowd-sourced data to map the cameras, including the type.
"Most people are innocent people. And their data is out there. Their data is being collected," Freeman said. "There's not really a way to opt out of it, other than driving around these things."
So far, across the U.S., more than 100,000 of the cameras have been mapped on Freeman's site.
There are hundreds in Southwest Florida alone.
Freeman admits there is a certain level of inaccuracy with the map, given that it relies on crowd-sourced information. But he believes it will self-correct over time as more people contribute to it.
Most of all, he worries about how Flock data could be used.
"You can figure out where this person lives, where this person works, when they're out of town," he said. "Who they visited. Who they travel with, who they know."
ACLU REPORTS CASES OF POLICE ABUSE, MISUSE AND MISTAKES
Freeman's concerns aren't just hypothetical.
From Kansas to Colorado, the ACLU has tracked cases of police abuse, misuse or mistakes with the cameras.
"Not every law enforcement agency in the nation is going to have the same principles, standards,” Chad Marlow said.
Marlow works for the civil rights nonprofit. He's also concerned about who could access the data.
"We don't like (police) having that information — and then there's another category of people that are not authorized to get the information, but get it anyway,” Marlow said.
LEE COUNTY SHERIFF ON FLOCK USE: ‘LEGITIMATE PURPOSES ONLY’
In Lee County, the Cape Coral Police Department, Sanibel Police and the Lee County Sheriff's Office all confirmed to Gulf Coast News that they use the cameras.
“I can see that people don't want to be videotaped. Some people don't want that,” Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said. “But my message to them is: everywhere you go, you're pretty much on camera today.”
“When you leave your home, you know, if you’re not doing anything wrong, then why are you upset?” he added.
Marceno said LCSO doesn't own or maintain the cameras. Customers are other police agencies, private communities or businesses.
But he said LCSO has access to the data from them.
“I'm telling you, from a law enforcement perspective, it helps us," Marceno said. "LPRs have solved major crimes in this county."
A few months ago, deputies said three teens stole a car, broke into a vape shop and took off after officers tried to stop them.
Two of them were tracked down after LCSO said they found the car using license plate readers.
And last year, deputies swarmed Lehigh Acres after a man was accused of killing his own mother. License plate readers tracked Lukas Carlton's vehicle across the state, and he was arrested in Pasco County.
Marceno insists there is supervision over the system to make sure it's properly used.
“I will ensure that if we utilize Flock cameras, that it's for legitimate law enforcement purposes only,” he said. “If we have a case where it doesn't, we will address that case-specific and make sure that there are repercussions.”
[mediaosvideo align='' embedId='74db6cce-af7e-439d-bde9-ec25599dc636' mediaId='911531bb-7c29-4e2d-b6a7-5c28bd18ea0f' size=''][/mediaosvideo]FLOCK SAFETY PUSHES BACK ON CONCERNS
Paris Lewbel, a spokesperson for Flock Safety, said data is stored for 30 days, but can be held longer for investigations.
He said the customer of a camera owns the data and controls who they share it with.
"We believe that safety and privacy must coexist," Lewbel said. "Any misuse is completely unacceptable.”
Lewbel said Flock has released a new piece of technology in the platform called "Audit Assistance" that flags suspicious searches within police agencies.
“Things like a license plate being run multiple times would be something that would be flagged automatically for command staff,” he said. “So then, they can see that that is being run that way and then conduct an investigation to make sure the system is being used correctly.”
Lewbel insists the Flock system has never been hacked, despite claims otherwise. He also said that last year, it helped find more than 10,000 missing people.
CAN PEOPLE AVOID THE CAMERAS?
While advocates point to the cameras' help in solving cases, it isn't enough to quiet those who have concerns about the technology, like Freeman.
"I would hope that mass surveillance goes away in the United States, because that's not what this country is about," he said.
There is another app and website — called Flock Hopper — that can map people a route around the license plate readers.
In most areas, they are hard to avoid. Trying to do so can double or triple drive times.
CHARLOTTE SHERIFF COMMENTS ON CAMERA USE
Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell also confirmed his office's use of license plate readers, and sent a statement to Gulf Coast News:
"The use of camera systems in law enforcement is a critical tool in intelligence-led policing, a strategy on which the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office has put its focus. Regardless of the system utilized (Flock, FUSUS, etc.), the purpose is the same: to identify and locate suspects of crime in order to protect people and property. Our agency does use cameras such as license plate readers (LPRs) and some artificial-intelligence-capable systems in our efforts. These systems are used only for law enforcement purposes, and the usage of them is extremely limited and tracked internally – meaning that an individual would not be able to access the systems with anonymity for unethical use. It's all part of the Integrity, Professionalism, and Trust of our Mission, Vision, and Core Values.
We understand the concerns and the "big brother is watching" mentality that a few individuals have vocalized. That is why I am addressing this issue and giving you peace of mind. There are over 200,000 people who live in Charlotte County and countless more who pass through every day. We have neither the purpose nor the manpower to watch every individual in our boundary. We are only concerned with the very few who choose to commit crimes. Using these tools enhances our crime-solving ability and helps to keep the rest of us safe.
To break it down in its simplest form: Unless you are the suspect of a crime, you are not being "watched" or "tracked" in any way. However, if you are a criminal, we have invested in and will utilize modern technology to help us find and arrest you. It really is that simple.
For those who wish to learn more about how our agency, YOUR agency, uses these systems, I encourage you to apply and take part in our Citizen's Police Academy program. As part of that program, you will get a tour of the Real-Time Intelligence Center (where these systems are used most) and hear from a member in our Intel Unit who can answer your questions further.
As always – Be strong. Be safe. And never quit! And may God bless Charlotte County!"