Lexington mayor to appoint outside panel reviewing city's 125 Flock license plate cameras

Event: September 4, 2026 · First reported: September 4, 2026 · 4 sources

Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton announced she will appoint an independent, external panel of outside experts in technology, civil rights and law to review the city's use of automated license plate readers, including its contract with Flock Safety. The police department introduced the readers in 2022 and now operates 125 cameras across the city. Gorton said the police department itself is not under review and that no one has accused officers of wrongdoing, but that questions raised locally and nationally about the technology should be answered. The announcement followed an August 27 Urban County Council meeting where at least 20 residents spoke, most urging the city to end the Flock contract.

Why this matters

Lexington joins a growing set of local governments revisiting ALPR contracts through formal outside review rather than council vote, and the panel's scope — including whether to change vendors or tighten controls — could shape how other cities structure their own audits.

Key facts

Lexington police began using ALPRs in 2022; the pilot was extended and expanded in 2024, and 125 cameras are currently deployed.
Gorton said she hopes to assemble the panel by the end of September; the Mayor's Office did not say whether meetings will be open to the public.
At the August 27 council meeting, most of the 20-plus speakers called for ending the Flock contract, citing police misuse, privacy and false alerts; a smaller number spoke in favor.
Councilmember Emma Curtis said she does not believe local personnel have misused the cameras but opposes the technology, calling Flock a company not worthy of public trust.
The Mayor's Office says the cameras have helped solve violent crimes, recover stolen vehicles and locate missing people, and are not used for speed or red-light enforcement.
Context cited in the article: an August Washington Post investigation found dozens of cases of officers using Flock cameras to track women, and a Shively, Kentucky officer was arrested after police said he tracked an ex-girlfriend more than 2,000 times.

Timeline

September 4, 2026Lexington Mayor will appoint panel to review city’s Flock camera use
September 4, 2026Lexington mayor appointing independent panel to review city's Flock cameras

Sources

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

Lexington Mayor will appoint panel to review city’s Flock camera use (The Lexington Times, September 4, 2026)
Lexington mayor appointing independent panel to review city's Flock cameras (Arcamax, September 4, 2026)
Lexington Mayor will appoint panel to review city's Flock camera use (CivicLex, September 4, 2026)
Lexington mayor appointing independent panel to review city’s Flock cameras (Lexington Herald Leader, September 4, 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 8, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.