Documented Incident
Records show Lexington police ran at least 83 Flock ALPR searches for ICE and HSI since December
Event: April 18, 2026 · First reported: September 21, 2026 · 2 sources
Records obtained by Spectrum News show the Lexington Police Department searched Flock's license plate reader database at least 83 times since December at the request of ICE and its investigative arm, Homeland Security Investigations. The department confirmed the searches, saying it assists federal and local partners for legitimate law enforcement purposes and does not help ICE arrest people solely alleged to be in the country illegally. LPD Commander Matthew Greathouse said two April 18 searches, each querying 2,081 camera networks, related to a double homicide investigation that led to an arrest; Spectrum News said it had not confirmed who was arrested or on what charges. Search reason fields referenced financial crime in 55 instances, apparent money-laundering shorthand in 19, and other HSI cases in nine.
The case illustrates how local ALPR data can reach federal immigration agencies without any written interagency agreement, and how little of that sharing is verifiable from the outside when federal records requests are denied.
Key facts
- At least 83 searches since December listed ICE or HSI in the search reason field, out of roughly 14,000 Flock searches by LPD in April alone.
- Lexington PD says no formal interagency agreement is required to assist ICE, and that outside requests are vetted.
- DHS declined to discuss operations and said it does not hold a contract with Flock Safety; a FOIA request to ICE was denied. Flock did not respond to Spectrum News.
- Mayor Linda Gorton announced an independent panel in early September to review the city's ALPR use; members and a first meeting date had not been released.
- State Rep. Vanessa Grossl, R-Georgetown, said she supports the cameras but questions federal use of local data without a written agreement; the Bluegrass DSA chapter wants the city to end its Flock contract.
Sources
This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.
- Lexington PD makes Flock searches at request of ICE investigators (Spectrum News, September 21, 2026)
- Lexington PD makes Flock searches at request of ICE investigators (Spectrum News, September 21, 2026)
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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 September 24, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.