{"id":300522,"date":"2026-10-06T02:04:13","date_gmt":"2026-10-06T02:04:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/300522\/"},"modified":"2026-10-06T02:04:13","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T02:04:13","slug":"philly-area-police-removing-flock-cameras-over-privacy-concerns-nbc10-philadelphia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/300522\/","title":{"rendered":"Philly-area police removing Flock cameras over privacy concerns \u2013 NBC10 Philadelphia"},"content":{"rendered":"

Across Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware, thousands of automated license plate reader cameras help police solve crimes and recover stolen vehicles, but some departments are now removing the technology over concerns about privacy, data security and information sharing.<\/p>\n

The NBC10 Investigators found that one company, Flock Safety, operates more than 2,700 license plate reader cameras across the three states, making it one of the largest providers of the technology.<\/p>\n

How Flock cameras work<\/p>\n

Flock cameras are a type of automated license plate reader, commonly called an ALPR.<\/p>\n

The cameras do more than capture a license plate number. They can identify a vehicle’s make, model, color and distinguishing characteristics, such as damage or a broken taillight.<\/p>\n

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A Flock Safety camera monitors a road in Abington Township, Pennsylvania. The township is ending its contract with Flock and removing the cameras.<\/p>\n

Supporters say that information gives investigators powerful tools to solve crimes, locate suspects and track stolen vehicles.<\/p>\n

Critics argue the technology creates a vast surveillance network capable of documenting the movements of ordinary people who are not suspected of any wrongdoing.<\/p>\n

According to publicly available data gathered by NBC News and analyzed by the NBC10 Investigators, there are about 5,800 ALPRs across Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.<\/p>\n

There are more than 2,000 ALPRs in the Philadelphia metropolitan area, according to the data gathered by NBC News and analyzed by the NBC10 Investigators. More than half are operated by Flock.<\/p>\n

Abington ending Flock contract<\/p>\n

Abington Township police have used Flock cameras for years.<\/p>\n

Police Chief Patrick Molloy said the cameras have helped investigators solve crimes, including a theft ring involving suspects from South America. According to Molloy, the technology helped police connect suspicious vehicles from other states to criminal activity in the township.<\/p>\n

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Abington Township Police Chief Patrick Molloy shows NBC10 investigative reporter David Charns a Flock Safety camera.<\/p>\n

But Abington is now ending its contract with Flock Safety and removing its three cameras.<\/p>\n

“Flock had had some breaches in data and security, which is something that we cannot tolerate,” Molloy said.<\/p>\n

The township’s contract was worth about $10,000 annually.<\/p>\n

Despite ending its relationship with Flock, Abington plans to continue using license plate readers from competitor Axon. Molloy said the system gives the department greater control over its data. The department already contracts with Axon for video and body-camera services.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPhiladelphia’s City Council passed a resolution calling on state lawmakers to ban or pass guardrails for automated license plate reading cameras. NBC10’s Miguel Martinez-Valle has the details.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Though the department does not publicly identify where its cameras are located, the NBC10 Investigators found a Flock camera in Abington near an apartment complex and pointed toward a main road. While not confirming the location, the department said its cameras, until they are removed, are positioned to help fight crime in strategic areas.<\/p>\n

Privacy advocates push for restrictions<\/p>\n

The ACLU of Pennsylvania is urging lawmakers to restrict or ban the technology.<\/p>\n

“These cameras are not discerning between the people who are criminals and who are alleged to have committed a crime, or innocent people,” said Elizabeth Randol, the organization’s legislative director for Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n

Randol said she would support a ban on the technology rather than additional regulations.<\/p>\n

“I would strongly urge people to consider a ban,” she said. “It’s much easier, much cleaner, and it is the most privacy protective, obviously.”<\/p>\n

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Pennsylvania and New Jersey lawmakers are considering several proposals that would restrict or regulate how license plate reader cameras can be used. The proposals range from additional oversight and transparency requirements to outright bans supported by some privacy advocates.<\/p>\n

In New Jersey, opposition groups have also formed around the use of license plate reader cameras.<\/p>\n

Jay Edgar, a member of Deflock New Jersey, said he worries about the amount of information the cameras collect and the possibility that people can be tracked.<\/p>\n

“Someone’s watching us, and they’re keeping track of what we do,” Edgar said.<\/p>\n

The NBC10 Investigators met Edgar beneath a Flock camera near the Cherry Hill Mall. Despite multiple inquiries by the NBC10 Investigators, it remains unclear who owns the camera. Cherry Hill police and mall officials denied ownership. A spokesperson for a large store at the mall neither confirmed nor denied owning the camera and said customer safety is the company’s top priority.<\/p>\n

While Edgar said he is not aware of any attempts to track him personally, he believes the possibility alone raises privacy concerns.<\/p>\n

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A Flock Safety camera stands near the Cherry Hill Mall in Cherry Hill Township, New Jersey. Mall officials and Cherry Hill police said they do not operate the camera. The NBC10 Investigators learned a nearby private business owns it, but the business declined to confirm ownership.<\/p>\n

“It’s gathering all sorts of information about your vehicle as you pass by,” he said. “It’s also catching people as they go by.”<\/p>\n

Critics have raised concerns that police could misuse Flock data to track individuals, including ex-partners. The NBC10 Investigators asked prosecutors and district attorneys’ offices across the Philadelphia region whether they were aware of any past or pending cases involving a law enforcement employee improperly using the technology. None said they were aware of any such cases.<\/p>\n

Cherry Hill also removing cameras<\/p>\n

Cherry Hill police are also ending their contract with Flock Safety and removing 10 cameras when the agreement expires at the end of the year.<\/p>\n

Their decision comes as lawmakers in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey consider proposals that would restrict or regulate how police can use license plate reader technology.<\/p>\n

Even supporters of the technology acknowledge the privacy debate is complicated.<\/p>\n

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There are more than 2,000 ALPRs in the Philadelphia metropolitan area, according to the data gathered by NBC News and analyzed by the NBC10 Investigators. More than half are operated by Flock.<\/p>\n

Molloy said he understands concerns about surveillance but believes technology remains an important crime-fighting tool.<\/p>\n

“Being a citizen, I don’t like the idea that my movements can be tracked,” Molloy said. “But on the other hand, I signed up to purchase a vehicle. I registered my vehicle. I know that I don’t have an expectation of privacy.”<\/p>\n

Molloy also argued that law enforcement needs access to modern investigative tools.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAs lawmakers discuss ways to regulate them, Gov. Josh Shapiro said he would consider banning the controversial flock cameras across Pennsylvania. NBC10’s Lauren Mayk has the details.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

“You have to trust the police with some of these technologies and surveillance technologies in order for us to have a competitive advantage on bad guys,” he said.<\/p>\n

Flock responds<\/p>\n

The NBC10 Investigators asked Flock about Abington’s and Cherry Hill’s decisions to terminate their contracts and Molloy’s concerns about data security and information sharing.<\/p>\n

In a statement, Flock spokesperson Paris Lewbel pointed to recent cases in Pennsylvania where the company said its cameras helped police solve crimes.<\/p>\n

Lewbel said Flock cameras in Erie County helped police locate a stolen van and identify a suspect accused of multiple vehicle thefts and break-ins. Lewbel also cited a case at Temple University in which the company said a Flock alert helped officers arrest a suspected serial burglar wanted in three states.<\/p>\n

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Abington police showed the NBC10 Investigators how Flock Safety’s system requires users to enter a crime category, event code, and other details before conducting a search.<\/p>\n

“Flock’s technology is an important public safety tool for law enforcement agencies across Pennsylvania, helping officers solve serious crimes and find missing people,” Lewbel said. “A blanket ban would take a proven investigative tool away from communities and officers who rely on it.”<\/p>\n

Lewbel said the company supports legislation that includes privacy, transparency and accountability safeguards while preserving law enforcement’s ability to use the technology.<\/p>\n

There are real world examples of Flock making a difference in Pennsylvania today. In Erie County, Flock cameras helped police locate a stolen van and identify a suspect accused of multiple vehicle thefts and break-ins. At Temple University, a Flock alert led officers to arrest a suspected serial burglar wanted in three states.<\/p>\n

Flock’s technology is an important public safety tool for law enforcement agencies across Pennsylvania, helping officers solve serious crimes and find missing people. A blanket ban would take a proven investigative tool away from communities and officers who rely on it. We support thoughtful, bipartisan legislation that puts strong privacy, transparency, and accountability guardrails in place while preserving law enforcement’s ability to use technology responsibly to keep people safe.<\/p>\n

Our blog post<\/a> speaks directly to officer access to data and how Flock is responding to concerns about the system. It covers new safeguards requiring a documented reason for every search, plus tools that flag and can automatically restrict abnormal search activity.<\/p>\n

Paris Lewbel, spokesperson, Flock Safety<\/p>\n

The company also pointed to new safeguards it says are designed to address concerns about privacy and data access. According to Lewbel, officers are now required to document a reason for every search, and Flock has tools that can identify and automatically restrict unusual search activity.<\/p>\n

Abington police showed the NBC10 Investigators how employees must include a case number for each search and described how the searches could be audited.<\/p>\n

The debate continues<\/p>\n

For now, the debate continues as police departments, lawmakers and privacy advocates weigh how to balance public safety with growing concerns about surveillance and personal privacy.<\/p>\n

Pennsylvania and New Jersey lawmakers are considering several proposals that would restrict or regulate how license plate reader cameras can be used. The proposals range from additional oversight and transparency requirements to outright bans supported by some privacy advocates.<\/p>\n

During a hearing on the legislation, a Flock representative urged Pennsylvania lawmakers to establish guardrails regarding data retention and ALPR technology.<\/p>\n

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During a hearing on the legislation, a Flock representative urged Pennsylvania lawmakers to establish guardrails regarding data retention and ALPR technology.<\/p>\n

In September, Philadelphia City Council unanimously passed a resolution calling on the state to pass legislation that would either ban or limit the use of automatic license plate reader cameras.<\/p>\n

In August, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said he would welcome bipartisan legislation banning automated license plate reader cameras across the commonwealth.<\/p>\n

As that debate unfolds, departments including Abington and Cherry Hill are moving away from Flock’s system while continuing to wrestle with the broader question of how much surveillance is appropriate in the name of public safety.<\/p>\n

The NBC10 Investigators can be reached at david.charns@nbcuni.com<\/a> and ali.ingersoll@nbcuni.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Across Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware, thousands of automated license plate reader cameras help police solve crimes and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":300523,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[12223,69,71,70,503],"class_list":["post-300522","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-philadelphia","tag-nbc10-investigators","tag-philadelphia","tag-philadelphia-headlines","tag-philadelphia-news","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/300522","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=300522"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/300522\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/300523"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=300522"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=300522"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=300522"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}