Rep. Greg Steube Calls for Ban on Flock Cameras, Citing Alleged Misuse in Sarasota

Event: August 22, 2026 · First reported: August 25, 2026 · 4 sources

In an August 22, 2026 post on X and an accompanying News Nation appearance, Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL) called for a ban on Flock Group Inc. license plate reader cameras, arguing that law enforcement should obtain a warrant before using the technology. Steube said he had documented an incident involving a Sarasota officer who allegedly queried the system hundreds of times to track the officer's ex-wife, describing the misuse as alleged. Flock CEO Garrett Langley, in a Fox News interview the same day, defended the technology and compared an outright ban to banning vehicles, saying the country should prioritize compromise between safety and privacy. No federal legislation banning the cameras has been enacted.

Why this matters

A sitting member of Congress publicly calling for a warrant requirement or ban signals that ALPR oversight is moving from local council debates into federal politics. The Sarasota allegation, if substantiated, illustrates the audit and access-control questions many communities face when adopting these networks.

Key facts

Steube posted his call for a ban on X on August 22, 2026, invoking the Fourth Amendment and the slogan 'BLOCK THE FLOCK'
He alleged a Sarasota officer used Flock cameras hundreds of times to track an ex-wife; the article presents this as an allegation, not an adjudicated finding
Flock CEO Garrett Langley told Fox News that an outright ban would be like 'banning vehicles' and urged compromise on privacy and safety
The article notes Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has also raised concerns about the technology
Amazon previously announced and then ended a Ring–Flock partnership after public backlash

Sources

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

Rep. Greg Steube Calls For Flock Camera Ban, Says Police Should ‘Get a Warrant’—CEO Says Ban Is Like ‘Banning Vehicles’ (Yahoo, August 25, 2026)
Rep. Greg Steube Calls For Flock Camera Ban, Says Police Should ‘Get a Warrant’—CEO Says Ban Is Like ‘Ban (Benzinga, August 24, 2026)
Rep. Greg Steube Calls For Flock Camera Ban, Says Police Should ‘Get a Warrant’—CEO Says Ban Is Like ‘Banning Vehicles’ (Newsbreak, August 24, 2026)
Flock CEO Says Banning AI Surveillance Cameras Is Like 'Banning Vehicles' as Americans Push Back Over Privacy Concerns (International Business Times UK, August 25, 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 August 28, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.