EFF says some local police departments using Flock Safety automated license plate readers are subscribed to an NCIC 'Immigration Violator' hotlist populated exclusively by ICE, so officers can be alerted when cameras spot vehicles tied to immigration records. Based on public-records responses, EFF identified at least Blue Island Police Department and Sparks Police Department as having the hotlist enabled, while other agencies used NCIC hotlists but had that specific topic disabled; the report highlights possible conflicts with local laws or agency policies that bar immigration-enforcement use.
Why it matters: This matters to immigrants, drivers, and local communities because routine traffic surveillance may be feeding immigration enforcement even where local rules appear to forbid it. Agencies using Flock should review which NCIC topics are enabled, and the public can use records requests and contract reviews to verify how ALPR systems are being used.
2026.09.08
62% relevant
This report advances the same underlying public backlash over Flock Safety surveillance by showing that criticism over police misuse and insufficient safeguards is now leading to state-level restrictions and widespread local contract cancellations.
2026.08.19
75% relevant
This article adds that Flock’s CEO apologized after documented misuse, and that Flock is changing defaults by cutting standard retention from 30 days to 7, adding restrictions on outside-agency searches such as immigration-related searches, and making its audit feature mandatory after reports that police and ICE used the system improperly.
2026.08.13
61% relevant
This source connects to the same underlying concerns about how Flock data is shared and used by police, adding that customers can now restrict inter-agency searches for uses such as immigration enforcement. It also documents Flock's response to misuse scandals with mandatory auditing and case-code requirements.
2026.07.15
66% relevant
The article adds a concrete institutional response to concerns about Flock data access and sharing, including reports that ALPR data has been available to immigration enforcement; LAPD says it wants enforceable limits on who controls and shares the data before resuming use.
Dave Maass
2026.06.24
100% relevant
This article establishes a distinct story by documenting a specific ALPR surveillance use case—ICE-linked immigration hotlist matching in Flock Safety systems—and naming agencies found to have it enabled.
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