President Donald Trump expressed support for automated license plate reader technology on Sunday, telling reporters aboard Air Force One that he backs Flock surveillance cameras due to their utility for law enforcement, even as new national polling shows widespread public opposition to the devices.
Trump Backs Flock Surveillance on Air Force One
President Donald Trump offered his first public endorsement of Flock automated license plate recognition cameras while speaking with reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday. US President Donald Trump says he supports Flock’s license plate cameras. Flock’s automated license plate recognition (ALPR) cameras are continuing to hit the headlines, with the latest controversy being a series of arrests of police officers who were found to be misusing the tech for nefarious purposes. Yet some supportive comments from US President Donald Trump about Flock’s cameras and a major new survey show the tech continues to be divisive, rather than unanimously rejected.
Acknowledging that the widespread deployment of the cameras is controversial, the president made his position clear regarding their operational value.
“I sort of like them because of that, because of law enforcement, but some people don’t. They think it’s an infringement. I like them.”
President Donald Trump
When a reporter noted that the cameras help law enforcement apprehend criminal suspects, Trump reiterated his stance, stating simply, I like them. The remarks follow comments made during an August 17 Oval Office press conference where the president previously broke his silence on the issue, telling reporters, it’s being studied right now.
You have pros and cons, right?
Trump added. It’s being studied right now. We’ll have an answer, sort of, as to our views on it over the next couple of weeks.
Public Opposition and Recent Law Enforcement Misuse Scandals
The presidential endorsement coincides with a national survey conducted for Reuters by the global market research and consultant firm Ipsos. The poll of 1,167 American adults revealed that 47% of those questioned were opposed to the use of Flock cameras in their communities, while 38% were in favor. The remaining 16% said they were unsure.
Opposition spans multiple demographics, with the majority of Democrats and independents against the cameras, as well as almost all age groups, both male and female respondents, and both those with and without a college degree. However, Republicans and people aged 55 or above came out in favor of the use of Flock.
Americans have raised concerns about the right to privacy and unwarranted surveillance on ordinary motorists, tracking their every move and storing the information in a database. Several Republican lawmakers and state officials have also expressed opposition to the technology.
After an investigation by USA Today, the news outlet alleged widespread Flock misuse, which included repeatedly searching for and tracking individual vehicles that were not involved in any criminal activity. USA Today said the investigations have led to at least 22 police officers being arrested, fired, put on leave or placed under investigation after they were found to have abused their access to Flock technology. In Georgia, five police officers were arrested last month for misusing license plate data after they accessed the Flock system on multiple occasions and utilized the retained license plate data for non-law enforcement purposes, according to officials.
Local Pushback
As a result of one officer in Columbus, Ohio being fired for searching for a single license plate 272 times without adequate reason, Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther announced that the city will pause its use of Flock cameras.
“Until I can report out to the people of Columbus that this isn’t a more widespread issue, that this really is just one person or a few people misusing and abusing this technology.”
Mayor Andrew Ginther