Documented Incident

InvestigationsLegislationPolice MisuseCities Rejecting

Sen. Hawley opens congressional inquiry into Flock Safety as Sanders plans surveillance bill

First reported: August 27, 2026 · 17 sources

Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri announced a congressional investigation into Flock Safety on Wednesday, writing to the company that Congress never authorized the nationwide automated license plate reader network it has built. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont said the following day that he plans to introduce legislation targeting Flock and AI-driven mass surveillance. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said this week that Flock cameras are "out of control" and called for state legislation, while Tempe, Arizona, announced it is ending its use of the company's cameras. Flock has responded publicly by highlighting cases in which its cameras aided arrests and missing-person searches.

Why this matters

Congressional inquiries and state-level pushback signal that ALPR oversight is moving beyond individual city councils, and the outcomes could shape what disclosure and access rules apply to agencies nationwide.

Key facts

Sources

This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.

About this record

BlockFlockNow documents reported incidents involving Flock Safety cameras and automated license plate readers: council votes, contract decisions, misuse by authorized users, lawsuits, audits, and community response. Every record is reviewed by a person before publication. New to the topic? Start with What is Flock?, find meetings near you, or learn how to request your town's camera records.

Updated August 28, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.