Federal judge rules warrantless Flock Safety camera searches violate Fourth Amendment

U.S. District Judge Sara Hill ruled that a Tulsa County deputy sheriff violated a driver's Fourth Amendment rights by conducting a warrantless search of the Flock Safety database. The search, which revealed over 50 vehicle sightings across multiple states, led to a traffic stop and the seizure of 91 pounds of methamphetamine, all of which has now been suppressed. While the ruling is non-binding, it marks a significant federal challenge to automated license plate readers, which Judge Hill characterized as indiscriminate mass surveillance.

The federal court ruling

• ▪Judge Sara Hill's ruling does not set a binding legal precedent, but it represents one of the first times a federal court has found a Flock Safety search unconstitutional.
• ▪Judge Sara Hill distinguished the Flock Safety case from Carpenter v. United States, noting that Flock is an indiscriminate mass surveillance tool collecting data on all passing vehicles rather than targeting a single individual.
• ▪U.S. District Judge Sara Hill ruled a Tulsa County deputy sheriff's warrantless Flock Safety database search of a woman's license plate violated her Fourth Amendment rights, suppressing the resulting evidence as fruit of a poisonous tree.
• ▪A spokesperson for Flock Safety stated that the ruling goes against the weight of authority, is limited to the specific facts of the case, and is expected to be appealed.

The deputy's search and drug seizure

• ▪A Tulsa County deputy sheriff ran a driver's California license plate through the Flock Safety and VehicleManager databases before identifying any traffic violation or criminal activity.
• ▪The Tulsa County deputy sheriff's database search revealed more than 50 sightings of the woman's vehicle across several states, which was used to justify a car search that uncovered 91 pounds of methamphetamine.

State and local actions

• ▪Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis took actions over the past two months to limit or halt funding for Flock Safety cameras in their states.
• ▪Some local and state authorities in Florida and Texas have stated that they have stopped using the Flock system.

The Block Flock Act

• ▪The proposed Block Flock Act would also pause federal grant funding for local law enforcement agencies seeking to contract with automated license plate reader manufacturers.
• ▪U.S. Senators Bernie Sanders and Jeff Merkley, along with Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, introduced the Block Flock Act to ban federal agencies from using automated license plate readers.

Flock Safety cameras

• ▪Flock Safety's automated license plate readers log plate numbers and identify a vehicle signature, including make, model, and other identifying features, without collecting biometric data of occupants.
• ▪Residents protested the use of Flock cameras in their community during a demonstration on October 1, 2026, in Milford, Michigan.

Debatable claims

• ▪The public safety benefits of Flock Safety cameras outweigh privacy concerns
• ▪Automated license plate readers constitute indiscriminate mass surveillance
• ▪Warrantless police searches of Flock Safety databases are unconstitutional
• ▪Suppressing evidence from warrantless database searches is justified to protect privacy