Putnam County sheriff orders immediate shutdown and removal of all 18 ALPR cameras

First reported: August 31, 2026 · 4 sources

Putnam County Sheriff H.D. "Gator" DeLoach ordered all 18 automated license plate reader cameras in the county disconnected immediately and fully removed within 30 days, and canceled the agency's contract. DeLoach said questions about privacy, data sharing and governmental oversight, along with reported misuse by other agencies and private users elsewhere, led him to conclude the technology is outpacing the laws governing it. He said the decision was not a criticism of his deputies, who he said used the cameras lawfully and under strong internal safeguards. The program is to remain discontinued until the Florida Legislature sets clearer rules.

Why this matters

A sheriff shutting down a program he describes as effective — citing the gap between the technology's capabilities and existing legal safeguards — offers other agencies a model for pausing surveillance tools pending statutory guidance rather than after a scandal.

Key facts

All 18 ALPR cameras on major Putnam County roadways ordered disconnected immediately, with full removal within 30 days and the contract canceled.
ALPRs were first deployed in Putnam County in 2022; the sheriff's office credited them with locating disoriented drivers with Alzheimer's or dementia, arresting murder suspects, and helping the FBI find a teenage trafficking victim from another state.
The sheriff's office said it required a case number for each search and conducted quarterly audits of data access.
DeLoach said the program will stay discontinued until the Florida Legislature establishes clear parameters for law enforcement use.
Other Northeast Florida agencies, including Jacksonville, Clay, Bradford and Nassau, have also announced they are halting ALPR use, following an FDOT directive.

Sources

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

Putnam County Sheriff pulls plug on license plate readers amid privacy debate (News4jax, August 31, 2026)
Putnam County Sheriff pulls plug on license plate readers amid privacy debate (Headtopics, August 31, 2026)
Safety tool or privacy threat ? Florida pulls the plug on license plate readers (news4jax.com, September 2, 2026)
Putnam County Sheriff pulls plug on license plate readers amid privacy debate (News4JAX, August 31, 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 2, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.