# Senate Reviews Flock Safety Surveillance Procurement

The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism held a hearing on September 23, 2026, scrutinizing the procurement and deployment of Flock Safety's AI-powered license plate reader (ALPR) surveillance network. This network includes over 120,000 cameras across 49 states, capturing approximately 20 billion images monthly. The hearing addressed significant privacy, constitutional, and cybersecurity concerns, including risks of false accusations, Fourth Amendment implications, and vulnerabilities to hacking. Witnesses included a wrongly accused citizen, law enforcement officials, legal experts, and cybersecurity researchers. The discussion emphasized the lack of federal regulation on ALPR data collection and retention, the role of private companies like Flock Safety in managing sensitive surveillance data, and the need for legislative action to impose warrant requirements and privacy protections. While no direct contract awards or procurement decisions were made, the hearing signals potential shifts in procurement policies, vendor accountability, and surveillance data management practices relevant to government agencies and contractors.

- **Why this matters:** Procurement professionals should anticipate increased scrutiny and potential regulatory changes affecting surveillance technology acquisitions, especially those involving AI-driven ALPR systems.
- Agencies currently contracting or considering contracts with private surveillance providers like Flock Safety may face new compliance requirements related to data retention, privacy safeguards, and transparency.
- Vendors should prepare for evolving procurement criteria emphasizing cybersecurity resilience, privacy protections, and oversight mechanisms.
- Organizations involved in public safety technology procurement should evaluate the implications of bipartisan legislative interest and public concerns on future contract terms and vendor accountability.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Industries:** Public Safety, Information Technology
**Topics:** Cybersecurity, Regulatory Compliance
**Published:** September 25, 2026

### Government Entities
- U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee (Senate Judiciary Committee)
- Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism
- Pinal County Sheriff's Office
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

### Vendors
- Flock Safety (surveillance camera service provider)
- Doppel (complainant representing Flock Safety)

### Key Quotes
> I was trying to get answers from them, and they would not give me answers and there were too many concerns. So we just decided not to continue our contract.
> — Ross Teeple, Sheriff, Pinal County, Arizona

> If you build it, they will come. I so much appreciate that youre bringing (up) abortion care seekers and gun owners because they are part of the same community when it comes to the threat of mass surveillance.
> — Chad Marlow, Senior Policy Counsel, American Civil Liberties Union

### Sources
- [Senate Hearing on Flock Cameras](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klE498xFjOY) - C-SPAN
- [Flock surveillance cameras raise constitutional questions, bipartisan US senators say | KiowaCountyPress.net](https://kiowacountypress.net/content/flock-surveillance-cameras-raise-constitutional-questions-bipartisan-us-senators-say) - Kiowa County Press
- [Flock Pressured to Remove Map of Its 300,000-Device Surveillance Network](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/flock-pressured-remove-map-300-150424954.html) - Yahoo