As Backlash Grows, More Americans Now Oppose Automated Police License Plate Readers Than Support

A new survey conducted by YouGov revealed that more Americans now oppose police license plate cameras than support them, reported TechCrunch. According to the survey, 46% of respondents were against the cameras in their communities, while 38% supported them. This is a shift from last year when a majority of respondents favored the cameras. The survey found that many respondents believed the surveillance would not make them feel safer.

Flock CEO Garrett Langley has faced a growing backlash over his company's surveillance cameras, drones, and license plate recognition technology, which could be misused, TechCrunch reported. Langley denied that Flock created police abuse, stating that their company was the first to shine a light on the issue and build tools to detect it. However, a grand jury in Ohio declined to bring charges against a man accused of destroying a Flock camera, suggesting the widespread hatred for the surveillance devices.

The controversy has escalated to the point where Flock's CEO is calling for new state laws to regulate the police officers who use the company's technology. Langley suggested that state regulators should pass bills making the illegal use of Flock data a criminal offense. The company has already implemented changes, but still faces supporters like a local police department that created a fake decoy camera, which led to the arrest of a Florida man for damaging it.

Interestingly, the City Council in the same city was considering a resolution to end their use of Flock cameras, despite the presence of supporters. The backlash against automated police license plate readers appears to be a deeply divisive issue in the United States.