Law enforcement credits Flock cams in Pensacola area as public’s privacy concerns persist
Law enforcement credits Flock cams in Pensacola area as public’s privacy concerns persist
Publish Date: 2026-02-25 17:32:00
Source Domain: weartv.com
PENSACOLA, Fla. — Across Northwest Florida, more law enforcement agencies are turning to high-tech license plate reader cameras to help solve crimes.
Supporters say the technology is leading to arrests and making communities safer. Critics argue it raises serious privacy concerns and gives too much power to the police.
As of late 2025, at least 48 flock cameras are operating in the Pensacola and Escambia County area. Eighteen of them under a two-year, $54,000 per-year contract with Pensacola Police running through July 2027.
“Just because you don’t see the law enforcement officer there or squad car there, it’s being monitored,” Pensacola Police Chief Kristin Brown said.
Unlike traditional city-owned surveillance, Flock owns the cameras. Law enforcement agencies subscribe to the service.
The company stores the data, while departments can access it.
Local law enforcement does not disclose the locations of the cameras.
“These are not our cameras. They belong to Flock. I guess the reason is we don’t want the bad guys to know where the cameras are,” Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons said.
Simmons says the technology is already paying off, having made over a dozen arrests this year with license plate readers using the flock cameras.
One of the arrests was made under Flock’s agreement allowing agencies to share data with each other.
“We had two attempted burglaries of a Family Dollar where a truck tried to steal ATM cameras from them,” Simmons said. “Lo and behold, it pops up in Leon County. They catch it, and they’re able to catch them in the act of trying to steal other ATM’s in Tallahassee.”
Though the technology is proving to help solve crimes, it’s raising concerns over privacy rights.
Residents at a recent Pensacola City Hall meeting aren’t backing down.
“Flock technology is the ultimate culmination of that encroachment,” resident Sarah Brummett said. “We don’t want to live in a police state.”
“These cameras can not be trusted. These cameras are used without a…
