License Plate Reader Investigation
Ten cameras in one Utah county were searched 5.1 million times by police in 45 states. Records show 41.4% of searches carry a stated reason that matches no purpose Utah law permits.
Tell UDOT: the public does not support surveillance cameras.
UDOT's permit agreement with surveillance companies say UDOT may terminate it if “UDOT determines that the public does not support the Company’s activities.” Add your name and help us show UDOT that Utah does not support surveillance systems on our roads.
Sign the petition nowReports
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Ten Cameras, 5.1 Million Police Searches
Weber County, Utah operates ten license plate reader cameras. Records released under GRAMA show 3,343 law enforcement agencies in 45 states ran 5,171,087 searches against them between February 2022 and July 2026 — 96.6% from outside Utah.
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Your license plate has a price, and the government isn't the only buyer
Private customers feed the same plate-reader networks Utah agencies use, and plate data collected privately is already sold to insurers.
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If Weber County Followed the Law, How Did This Happen?
Utah has some of the strongest ALPR laws in the country. This policy paper asks whether those laws describe the system Utah agencies actually purchased — reading the Utah Code against the Weber County–Flock Safety contract, clause by clause.
In the Press
KUTV
Utah lawmaker pushes for more state guardrails on automatic license plate readers
Rep. Kristen Chevrier plans another push for state oversight of license plate readers as the Utah Privacy Commission weighs recommendations. Utah Civic Compact's Conner Radcliffe asked where Utahns should draw the line on surveillance.
Read on KUTV →
KUTV
Weber County meeting focuses on Flock camera privacy concerns
Utah Civic Compact and the League of Women Voters of Weber County hosted a public meeting on Flock cameras — who holds the contract, who controls the data — and urged residents to ask legislators for better regulation.
Read on KUTV →
Telemundo Utah
Crece la preocupación sobre la instalación de cámaras “Flock” en Utah
El gobernador Spencer Cox se mostró profundamente preocupado por el uso de las cámaras de vigilancia ALPR y solicitó una revisión de la normativa de Utah. Telemundo Utah cita los registros publicados por Utah Civic Compact: las diez cámaras Flock del condado Weber fueron consultadas 5.1 millones de veces entre 2022 y 2026, principalmente por agencias de fuera del estado.
Leer en Telemundo Utah →
Utah News Dispatch
Utah governor says he’s ‘deeply troubled’ by Flock cameras, calls for review to protect privacy
Responding to Utah Civic Compact’s Weber County records, Gov. Spencer Cox said he is “deeply troubled” by how the county’s ten Flock cameras have been searched and asked the Utah Privacy Governing Board and the Utah Privacy Commission to review the state’s rules and enforcement. “We have legislation that puts those guardrails in place,” Cox said. “The question is: is the legislation being followed?”
Read on Utah News Dispatch →
Utah News Dispatch
Most of this Utah county's license plate camera data is searched by out-of-state law enforcement
Records obtained by Utah Civic Compact show ten Flock Safety cameras in Weber County were searched 5.1 million times between February 2022 and July 2026, with almost 97% of those searches coming from agencies outside Utah. The Houston Police Department alone accounted for more than a third of all activity.
Read on Utah News Dispatch →
KSL
Group cites 'striking' Weber County data on Flock cameras as reason for lawmakers to act
Utah Civic Compact released public records at the Capitol showing Weber County's license plate reader cameras were searched more than 5 million times since early 2022, overwhelmingly by out-of-state agencies. The group is calling on state lawmakers to tighten the rules governing how outside agencies access Utah data.
Read on KSL →
On Television
Utah Stories
Flock Cameras: Why is the government spying on you?
KUTV
Weber County meeting focuses on Flock camera privacy concerns
KSL News Utah