Why it Matters

The Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism, chaired by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), held what The Hill described as the first congressional hearing on AI-powered surveillance cameras on Sept. 23, examining Flock Safety's network of roughly 120,000 cameras across 49 states that the company says generates 20 billion vehicle images per month. The most consequential development was the refusal of Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langley, along with the CEOs of Axon, Motorola Solutions, and Verkada, to appear despite invitations from Hawley and Ranking Member Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL). The Trump administration has endorsed the technology, with President Trump saying in mid-September, "I sort of like them because of that, because of law enforcement," while a federal agency contracted with Flock Safety for $231,600 per year for cameras in the Washington area, according to the Washington Times.

The Big Picture

The hearing grew out of documented abuses, including a Kentucky officer who allegedly used Flock's system to track his ex-girlfriend more than 2,000 times and a Washington Post investigation finding officers misusing the platform without their departments' knowledge. The most direct catalyst was the wrongful arrest of Lindsey Isaacs, a Florida woman who spent 13 days in jail on vehicular homicide charges after a Flock camera search flagged her vehicle near a fatal crash she had no involvement in. Flock disputed the characterization that its technology caused the arrest.

At least four House bills targeting automated license plate reader (ALPR) use have been introduced, including Rep. Thomas Massie's "FLOCK OFF Act" to block federal funds for ALPR purchases and Rep. Greg Steube's legislation requiring judicial warrants before federal agencies use networked ALPR systems.

What They're Saying

Durbin quipped the absent CEOs were "nervous about being on camera," while Hawley declared: "This is still the United States of America, and it shouldn't be that when you walk out your door in the morning, you just have to agree and assent and accept the fact that you're going to be on camera morning, noon, and night."

Isaacs told the subcommittee: "That piece of information became part of an investigation that ultimately led to my arrest on three counts of vehicular homicide and 13 days in jail for a crash I had nothing to do with." When a senator walked through the mismatch between her vehicle and the maroon Durango witnesses described, Isaacs said: "I was facing life in prison."

Cybersecurity researcher Benn Jordan testified that by pressing a button on the most common Flock camera model three times, he could access all data or reprogram the device in under a minute, and that he found unprotected administrative interfaces for more than 60 cameras allowing remote viewing and deletion of 30 days of footage.

Ross Teeple, sheriff of Pinal County, Arizona, who terminated his office's Flock contract, offered a rebuke from within law enforcement: "We shouldn't wait for the Supreme Court to tell us something is a violation before we decide to protect the privacy of our citizens."

Political Stakes

A TCPalm analysis of over 5 million Flock searches in Florida found the cameras are used to track undocumented immigrants since January 2025, and ICE has accessed Flock data through local law enforcement partnerships. No administration official testified.

More than 50 cities and counties have canceled or deactivated ALPR cameras so far in 2026, and Hawley left the door open to subpoenas against the companies that declined to appear, according to HuffPost and CNBC.

The Bottom Line

No legislation is currently linked to the hearing record and no votes are scheduled, but Hawley has an active investigation underway and subpoenas remain an explicit option. Whether Congress will impose warrant requirements, data retention limits, or restrictions on federally funded ALPR use remains unresolved. Track the hearing at Legis1.

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