Phoenix-area cities reassess ALPR programs after alleged officer misuse in Chandler, Apache Junction and elsewhere

Event: August 10, 2026 · First reported: August 22, 2026 · 1 source

Several Phoenix-area agencies are reviewing or curtailing automated license plate reader programs following allegations that officers misused Flock Safety data. Chandler canceled its Flock contract after an audit and said an officer resigned when confronted about tracking an elderly relative, while an Apache Junction officer resigned after admitting he tracked his wife's movements; Surprise, Goodyear and Apache Junction officers are also under investigation. On Aug. 10, Tempe announced it was halting all data sharing from its 33 Flock cameras, citing community privacy concerns and recent misuse by two local agencies. Phoenix police, by contrast, use Motorola Solutions/Vigilant systems rather than Flock, under contracts approved by the City Council in 2022 and 2025.

Why this matters

The cluster of resignations and investigations across neighboring Arizona jurisdictions shows how ALPR misuse in one agency can trigger contract reviews in others, and raises questions about what audit and access controls exist before deployment. It also illustrates that ending a Flock contract does not necessarily end ALPR use, as cities weigh competing vendors.

Key facts

Tempe halted all data sharing from its 33 Flock cameras on Aug. 10, according to a city press release citing privacy concerns and misuse by two local agencies.
Chandler canceled its Flock contract after an audit; an officer resigned after being confronted about using the system to track an elderly relative.
An Apache Junction officer resigned after admitting he used Flock to track his wife; Surprise and Goodyear officers are under investigation for alleged misuse.
Phoenix approved a $9 million Motorola Solutions/Vigilant LEARN contract on July 1, 2022, and a $2.4 million National Vehicle Location Service contract on June 4, 2025, running through June 18, 2029.
Scottsdale, which has roughly 85 Flock cameras, is scheduling a council discussion; Mayor Lisa Borowsky cited resident input and Councilwoman Solange Whitehead said ending the contract is her top priority.
Flock founder Garrett Langley told the BBC the company waited too long to guard against police abuse and said data retention is being cut from 30 days to seven; he said 50 cities cut ties this year and 16 returned in the last three months.

Sources

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

Officer abuse fuels license plate reader turmoil across Phoenix (Ahwatukee Foothills News, August 22, 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 24, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.