President Donald Trump voiced support for Flock Safety’s license‑plate camera network, telling reporters aboard Air Force One, “I like them,” when asked if he would back the cameras, according to the Daily Caller News Foundation (DCNF) and a clip posted on X by Acyn on Sept. 13, 2026.
Pressed on law enforcement using the system, Trump added, “Yeah, I sort of like them because of that, because of law enforcement,” while acknowledging concerns: “But some people don’t; they think it’s an infringement.” After a reporter noted the cameras “help catch a lot of criminals,” Trump reiterated, “I like them.” The White House did not immediately respond to DCNF’s request for comment.
He signaled a pending decision in August
On Aug. 17, Trump told DCNF White House correspondent Reagan Reese that he would make up his mind on Flock cameras “over the next couple of weeks,” saying, “It’s being studied right now. You have pros and cons, right? It’s being studied right now.”
Backlash grows: probe, alleged abuses, and a promised bill
DCNF reports that Flock’s Automated License Plate Readers (ALPR) can provide drivers’ personal information to law enforcement without a warrant, a capability that has drawn bipartisan backlash. Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism, launched a probe on Aug. 26 into Flock’s data practices.
In a letter cited by DCNF, Hawley wrote that the St. Charles County Police Department in Missouri terminated its Flock contract after an audit found a civilian employee had run searches “for personal reasons, completely unrelated to their law enforcement duties.” Hawley also alleged that in Milwaukee, “prosecutors charged a police officer who allegedly searched his girlfriend’s license plate 124 times and her former boyfriend’s plate 55 times,” adding that the officer “was not caught by the company’s audit systems — he was caught because a private citizen looked up his own plate on a public website.”
Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont posted on X on Aug. 26 that he “will soon be introducing legislation [to stop Flock and AI mass surveillance].” “Totalitarianism is when a government or another entity with overwhelming power seeks to know, control and influence everything you do, say and even think,” Sanders wrote. “I fear very much that if we don’t act aggressively, that is where we’re heading.”
Local backlash includes vandalism
Police in Winona, Minnesota, reported on Aug. 4 that eight of the city’s Flock cameras were destroyed, per DCNF. The outlet also noted similar cases of resistance reportedly occurring in Ohio, Texas, and North Carolina.
What to watch
Trump’s latest comments indicate support for the cameras, even as he previously said the issue was still under study. Meanwhile, Hawley’s probe and Sanders’ promised legislation position the system for continued scrutiny.
