Jun 10, 2026 By Conner Goetz 3 min read

Washington City Council approved a one-year test of Flock Safety license plate reader cameras last week, increasing the public surveillance capacities of local law enforcement.

According to Mayor JoJo Burgess, the city police department was approached by the Atlanta-based technology company earlier this year with an offer to trial their license plate readers (LPRs) at no cost.

This “exploratory” effort is designed to test whether the LPR system is beneficial enough to invest in a permanent installation after the expiration of the one-year trial period, Burgess said.

“We will see how it can help us and how it can help our law enforcement,” he said.

According to Flock’s website, the LPRs are solar-powered, motion-activated cameras that record license plate numbers; vehicle make, model, color and body type; and date, time and general location of the detection being recorded.

“Flock cameras are placed at common vehicle access points such as neighborhood entrances and parking lot exits, keeping data collection limited to information relevant to public safety,” per the website.

Burgess declined to confirm the exact number and placement of the LPRs during the trial period, saying that “bad actors” could use that information to damage the cameras.

The data recorded by the LPR cameras is accessible to local law enforcement, who can interface with the Flock system via an app or web application.

Flock reports on its website more than 5,000 law enforcement agencies nationwide use its products, including more than 6,000 municipalities.

Burgess said that several years ago, a homicide suspect was able to evade detection by city police by fleeing in his vehicle until he reached South Strabane Township, where he was located using their network of LPR cameras.

Burgess said that City Council’s goal, and the goal of the LPR pilot program is to keep residents safe.

Other municipalities have experienced pushback after installing Flock products, citing concerns surrounding citizens’ privacy and data security.

More than 200 Munhall Borough residents signed a petition earlier this year requesting the termination of a similar Flock LPR pilot program in the small Allegheny County community, according to reporting by Gabriella DeLuca at WPXI-TV.

According to the open-source DeFlock.org, which tracks the location of LPR cameras across the country, more than 60 LPR cameras are already in use across Washington County, primarily along the Route 19 corridor. In Fayette County, it appears fewer than five are in use, and none in neighboring Greene.

Burgess said he does not currently have any concerns surrounding resident data privacy due to the pilot program, and that City Council will assess the program’s efficacy on a rolling basis throughout the trial period.