Sen. Warnock urges DOJ to set federal rules for Flock and other ALPR systems

Event: September 21, 2026 · First reported: September 23, 2026 · 3 sources

U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Georgia) said at a virtual press conference on Sept. 23, 2026 that the Justice Department should create federal guardrails for Flock Safety cameras and other automated license plate readers, arguing there is currently no federal mechanism to track or punish misuse by the roughly 140,000 officers with access to such data. On Sept. 21, Warnock and Sen. Katie Britt (R-Alabama) wrote to Attorney General Todd Blanche asking the department to advise agencies on preventing misuse and to answer six questions about federal oversight and funding by Oct. 21. The letter cited at least 50 officers charged with or accused of unauthorized ALPR use nationally, including 20 arrested in Georgia, with at least 30 cases said to involve stalking of current, former or prospective romantic partners. Warnock did not offer a specific legislative proposal.

Why this matters

The request tests whether federal agencies will condition funding or issue guidance on ALPR use, an area now governed by a mix of state laws and local policies that varies widely between jurisdictions.

Key facts

Warnock and Britt's Sept. 21 letter asks DOJ to respond to six questions by Oct. 21, 2026.
Former Acworth officer Anthony Trapani, 34, was arrested this month by the GBI over alleged non-law-enforcement use of Acworth's Flock system, conduct the GBI said preliminarily continued after he moved to the Emerson Police Department; the specific alleged use has not been disclosed, and the case is unresolved.
The senators' letter describes Flock's network as the nation's largest, with more than 120,000 cameras in 49 states and 140,000 monthly active users.
Flock recently reduced its default data retention period from 30 days to seven days, though the senators noted some data can be kept for years.
Smyrna's City Council voted Monday to create an eight-member ALPR task force, with members expected to be appointed Oct. 7.

Sources

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

Warnock calls for federal guardrails on Flock cameras amid growing arrests (Cherokee Tribune, September 23, 2026)
Warnock calls for federal guardrails on Flock cameras: "Bring some some sanity to this system" (CBS News, September 23, 2026)
Warnock calls for federal guardrails on Flock cameras amid growing arrests (Marietta Daily Journal, September 23, 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 24, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.