This state’s citizens now oppose Flock cameras — despite agreeing they help police

There are now over 130,000 ALPR cameras in the United States, the vast majority of which are from controversial company Flock. Both the camera capabilities and the rapid increase in number of cameras have become a hot-button issue, with the recorded number of cameras increasing by more than 30,000 in less than two months.

In one big Sun Belt state, it’s been less than three months since residents figured out they’re being watched, and the situation is only getting worse.

Technology used to monitor, police, and conduct federal investigations has been at the tip of the spear in the debate surrounding personal freedoms, and citizens have quickly soured on the idea that the Big Brother-style security system is welcome in the state.

‘82% of those polled are concerned that the cameras could be misused.’

At the beginning of June, reports spread of how traffic cones and barrels were being used along different roadways by Customs and Border Protection to read license plates in order to catch illegal aliens.

The conversation quickly accelerated, revealing that not only were automated license plate recognition cameras being used to fight immigration violations, but they were being used nationwide on Americans.

Now, new data shows that voters in Arizona have expressed “genuine tension” over the cameras, telling pollsters they oppose their use despite believing they can help solve crimes.

The numbers are actually quite staggering: 63% of Arizonans polled oppose the camera use entirely, while 51% believe they help police.

NextGen Polling shows the biggest discrepancy among registered voters is opinions on misuse and audits. 82% of those polled are concerned that the cameras could be misused, while another 82% said they support independent audits on surveillance companies.

RELATED: What the Flock? Knoxville mayor explains the dark truth about Flock cameras: ‘Not your grandma’s license plate readers’

Jean-François FORT/Hans Lucas/AFP/Getty Images

As Blaze News previously reported, CBP has had access to at least 1,600 of Flock’s license plate readers across 22 states at one time. The agency has also been using the technology in its investigations dating back to at least 2017.

At the same time, Flock is used by more than 5,000 law enforcement agencies in the United States.

Voters in Arizona oppose the use by local police (Net -32.7) while a majority, 52%, oppose the cameras being shared with ICE.

Democrats are more likely to oppose the camera use, 73% compared to Republicans at 54%. Meanwhile, 80% of Democrat voters oppose sharing the camera capabilities with ICE; 59% of Republicans actually support it.

RELATED: Flock off, Axon on

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

In addition to license plate reading, companies like SignalTrace have developed methods to upgrade Flock cameras to capture any “unique signals” emitted from devices in the car.

This includes cell phones, smart watches, Bluetooth devices, earbuds, and Wi-Fi signals.

Each unique identifier can be attached to the license plate number, and therefore the owner, to essentially create an entire electronic surveillance profile on the driver.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!