After Flock, U.S. cities shift to Axon ALPRs as privacy concerns persist

Activists celebrated Longmont’s decision to drop Flock, but cities nationwide quickly replaced Flock’s license-plate readers with Axon’s ALPRs, intensifying a national debate over privacy, data retention, and cross-agency access. Officials argue ALPRs aid crime solving, while privacy advocates warn that swapping vendors doesn’t fix underlying governance; some municipalities are introducing safeguards and review boards, but local surveillance persists and calls for stronger data governance grow louder.