09/01/2026
Altamonte Springs Police Department Suspends Use of Flock Cameras
Release Date: August 31, 2026
For over a decade, the Altamonte Springs Police Department has used Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) technology and databases as important investigative tools to help solve crimes, identify and locate dangerous offenders, recover stolen vehicles, and help locate our residentsโ missing and endangered family members.
When used responsibly, for legitimate law enforcement purposes, and with appropriate safeguards and accountability, ALPR technology is an invaluable tool that provides investigators with timely information that saves lives, protects property and victims, and helps apprehend offenders right here in Altamonte Springs.
In fact, just last week, ALPR technology assisted our detectives in locating a man suspected in the shooting death of his wife in less than two hours. He was safely taken into custody by the Volusia County Sheriffโs Office a short time later. Within the last few months, ALPR technology has also been used to help locate a woman who was beaten and kidnapped. It also helped to locate and apprehend a fugitive from Georgia wanted for an aggravated sexual offense after an ALPR near two of our schools generated an alert.
As compelling as these cases are, we also understand the importance of public trust, community partnerships, and listening to the concerns people have regarding privacy, access to ALPR information, data retention, information sharing, and the safeguards necessary to prevent unauthorized access or misuse. The Altamonte Springs Police Department is an Excelsior Five Accredited Agency, achieving the highest accreditation possible in Florida. The ASPD has employed this technology appropriately and with safeguards and oversight, and it has helped us solve crimes more quickly than we would have been able to without the technology. But across the nation, there have been instances of abuse, and those abuses have caused distrust.
As these developments have unfolded, we have had discussions with Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma and other law enforcement agencies in our area regarding the use of ALPR technology, the concerns being raised throughout Florida, and the need for a clear and consistent path forward. These conversations reinforced the importance of a coordinated approach that recognizes both the significant public safety value of this technology and the need for clear standards that maintain public confidence in its use.
๐๐ณ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ณ๐๐น ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ผ๐ฝ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ฐ๐๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐น๐ฎ๐ ๐ฒ๐ป๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐, ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐น๐๐ฎ๐บ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐ ๐ฃ๐ผ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ถ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐น๐ผ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ถ๐บ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐น๐.
Earlier today, the Florida Department of Transportation acted regarding Flock cameras located within the right-of-way on state roads. Law enforcement agencies across Florida, including here in Seminole County, have also suspended or discontinued their use of Flock camera systems.
We join other law enforcement leaders in supporting the development of a clear statewide framework governing ALPR technology. Statewide legislation should preserve the ability of law enforcement agencies to responsibly use ALPR technology for legitimate public safety purposes, including investigating serious crimes, apprehending dangerous offenders, recovering stolen property, and locating endangered and missing people. At the same time, it should establish clear and consistent standards governing authorized uses, access to information, data sharing and retention, auditing, accountability, transparency, and meaningful consequences for unauthorized access or misuse. We support legislation that provides a statewide framework, so our residents have confidence that there are uniform requirements for this technology regardless of where they live or which law enforcement agency operates or accesses a shared ALPR system.
One of the fundamental principles of community-oriented policing is that policing is done in partnership with the community. The men and women of the Altamonte Springs Police Department overwhelmingly do the right thing, the right way, for the right reasons, and maintaining the trust of the community we serve is essential to that partnership.
We are hopeful that the upcoming legislative session provides an opportunity for state leaders, local governments, law enforcement agencies, and the communities we serve to establish clear and consistent standards that strengthen public confidence in how technology is used while ensuring law enforcement retains access to effective investigative tools that help keep our communities safe. Until then, we believe this is the appropriate course of action.
