Philadelphia City Council unanimously passed a resolution that demands the state pass legislation that would either ban or limit the use of automatic license plate reader cameras. The resolution was passed during a meeting at City Hall on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. The bill was authored by Ci ty Councilmember at-large Rue Landau and it calls for state officials to ban the use of Flock Safety’s Automatic License Plate Reader cameras or develop strong guardrails for the use of automatic license plate reader technology. Flock Safety’s license plate cameras are used by law enforcement agencies in communities across the country to track vehicles and help solve crimes. The cameras have also generated concerns about privacy and potential misuse of the data they collect. In fact, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro has said he would welcome legislation to ban these devices. Also, some Pennsylvania lawmakers are already considering ways to regulate these types of license plate cameras. According to the website, FlockCameraLocations.com, there are more than 300 Flock and other automatic license plate reader cameras within 10 miles of Center City Philadelphia. Pennsylvania Aug 28 Gov. Josh Shapiro says he would welcome Pennsylvania ban on Flock cameras Technology Aug 13 Surveillance company Flock moves to increase oversight after police misuse Pennsylvania Aug 13 Surveillance company changes camera data, Pa. lawmakers consider regulations City Council’s legislation argues that a ban or guardrails need to be considered by state lawmakers as it alleges the company has overstated the effectiveness of the data access and security measures that are currently in place on the devices. “Flock knowingly overstates the effectiveness of data access and security measures, such as stating that its requirement that all searches of Flock’s ALPR database must include the purpose for the search to ensure prevention of inappropriate and unauthorized uses, even though Flock knew its system regularly accepts vague descriptions such as ‘investigation’ and has even accepted ‘hehehe’ as a search justification,” reads the legislation. However, in responding to calls for a ban, the company said that such a measure would “take a proven investigative tool away from many communities.” “Flock’s technology is an important public safety tool for law enforcement agencies across Pennsylvania, helping officers solve serious crimes and find missing people,” a Flock spokesperson wrote. “A blanket ban would take a proven investigative tool away from communities and officers who rely on it. We support thoughtful, bipartisan legislation that puts strong privacy, transparency, and accountability guardrails in place while preserving law enforcement’s ability to use technology responsibly to keep people safe.” ...read more read less