Lowell, Arkansas council to weigh ordinance banning ALPRs, facial recognition and audio sensors

Event: September 15, 2025 · First reported: September 14, 2026 · 3 sources

A proposed ordinance introduced by Lowell City Councilman Adrian Flores would bar the city from using Flock Safety automated license plate readers, acoustic listening devices and facial recognition technology. The measure, called the Citizens' Liberty and Information Privacy (C.L.I.P.) Ordinance, would require existing systems to be disabled within 30 days, hardware removed within 60, and historical data deleted within 30 days after that, except records tied to active criminal cases. Flores said he learned of the city's four cameras roughly a year after installation and alleges Flock structures contracts to stay just below thresholds that would trigger council approval; Flock did not respond to the station's request for comment. Lowell Police Chief Tim Kuth said the cameras have aided investigations and raised concerns the audio provision could affect other department equipment.

Why this matters

The proposal tests whether a small city can retroactively unwind an ALPR deployment that was approved administratively rather than by elected officials, and its data-ownership and private-right-of-action provisions could serve as a template for other municipalities.

Key facts

The ordinance was set for introduction at the Lowell City Council meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 15.
Lowell has four ALPR cameras: two on Monroe Avenue and two at Pleasant Grove Road and Highway 71B, across from a City of Rogers camera; two were covered with trash bags on Sept. 9.
Future vendor contracts would have to specify that the city, not the vendor, owns 'derived data,' and any Lowell resident could sue the city over noncompliance.
Chief Kuth said the cameras helped solve area homicides, a sexual assault case, car theft and drug trafficking, but said the decision rests with the council.
Arkansas ordinances typically require three readings over three months; Flores said the council could shorten that. Lowell's Flock contract is up for renewal in November.
The ACLU of Arkansas said it could not analyze this specific ordinance but commended the city for considering action.

Sources

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

Lowell council to consider ban on Flock-style cameras, other surveillance tech (Knwa Fox24, September 14, 2026)
Lowell council to consider ban on Flock-style cameras, other surveillance tech (Yahoo, September 14, 2026)
Lowell to consider ban on Flock-style cameras, other surveillance tech (Yahoo, September 14, 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 21, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.