Chuck Schumer, the Senate's top Democrat, has sent a formal request to Flock Safety seeking greater transparency about how the company operates its nationwide network of licence plate readers.

The company operates more than 120,000 cameras across 49 states, deploying artificial intelligence technology to extract vehicle details from footage and pass that information to its client base, which includes law enforcement agencies among others. According to the firm, its technology has the potential to assist law enforcement in locating fugitives, recovering stolen vehicles, and finding individuals reported as missing.

An investigation by a news organisation concluded that a claim — made publicly by the company's chief executive — that Flock cameras had assisted in solving one million crimes in 2025 lacked support from the available documentary record.

Privacy concerns and allegations of unauthorised database searches have drawn scrutiny toward Flock, with objections arising across the country. Questions persist about how data gathered by a private firm's nationwide network of street-corner cameras would be stored, who would have access to it, and whether the plate-reading technology could be applied beyond its stated function.

Schumer stated that the technology records location data in a database accessible to law enforcement agencies nationwide, with software capable of connecting a vehicle to its owner's phone number and relatives, and that the public has limited visibility into who retrieves that data or what justifies its collection. Schumer disclosed that a letter was sent to Flock Safety chief executive Garrett Langley containing a series of direct questions about the matter.

A statement released on his behalf indicated that the company's publicly communicated assurances around camera encryption and data protection are under review, with a formal reply due by 16 October. Schumer noted that a single camera had captured more than one million images, adding that the vast majority of New Yorkers and Americans simply want to travel to their jobs and return home to their families each day.

At that point, one of the surveillance cameras was taken offline by intruders, who then gained unauthorised access to it. Flock Safety had not provided a response to the outlet's request for comment at the time of publication.

Legislation targeting Flock cameras and other AI-driven surveillance tools had already been put forward by Missouri Senator Josh Hawley before Schumer moved on the same issue. The proposed legislation, known as the Stop Flock Abuse Act, would place tighter constraints on automated licence plate readers, covering how data is collected, stored, and searched.

That same month, Flock rolled out a revised data policy, reducing how long records are retained from one month to one week. Monitors within the system have begun identifying atypical search patterns tied to law enforcement activity, while Langley told reporters that looking back with the benefit of hindsight is an unforgiving exercise, adding that earlier intervention would have been possible. The statement closed with a commitment to ongoing attentiveness and a path forward built on what is heard and absorbed along the way.