Documented Incident
Audit logs: 96% of searches of Lexington's Flock network came from out-of-state or federal agencies
First reported: September 16, 2026 · 4 sources
WKYT reviewed audit logs for every search run against the Lexington Police Department's Flock license plate reader network from January through July 2026, finding more than 7 million searches. Just over 63,000 of those were run by Lexington Police, while roughly 96% came from out-of-state or federal agencies. The Houston and Dallas police departments topped the list, with approximately 349,535 and 297,199 searches respectively. Lexington Police said outside agencies must request access and be manually approved, and that Flock lets officers search either their own system or run a nationwide search across connected networks.
The audit logs offer a rare quantified look at how much of a local ALPR network's use originates far outside the community that paid for and hosts it, raising questions for other jurisdictions about who approves access and how nationwide search defaults are monitored.
Key facts
- WKYT reviewed audit logs of all searches of Lexington's Flock network from January through July 2026, totaling more than 7 million searches.
- Lexington Police accounted for approximately 63,610 searches; roughly 96% of searches came from out-of-state or federal agencies.
- Top searchers included Houston PD (~349,535), Dallas PD (~297,199), Gwinnett County, Georgia PD (~108,592) and Louisville Metro PD (~78,514).
- Lexington Police said access is not automatic with a Flock agreement — an agency must request it and Lexington must manually approve.
- Commander Matthew Greathouse said larger agencies naturally generate more searches and that some may be using a nationwide search default.
Sources
This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.
- WKYT Investigates: Houston, Dallas top list of agencies searching Lexington’s Flock camera system (WKYT, September 16, 2026)
- WKYT Investigates: Who’s using Lexington’s Flock cameras? Data shows it’s mostly outside agencies (WKYT, September 15, 2026)
- WKYT Investigates: Houston, Dallas top list of agencies searching Lexington’s Flock camera system (WKYT, September 16, 2026)
- WKYT Investigates: Houston, Dallas top list of agencies searching Lexington’s Flock camera system (WBTV, September 16, 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.