ATLANTA — After a slew of stories of officers and staff at various law enforcement agencies misusing the technology, in Georgia and farther abroad, a Georgia lawmaker is proposing state-level oversight of Flock Safety Systems.
Georgia Sen. John Albers announced Monday his plan to form a task force aimed at ensuring Flock Safety has more oversight to present misuse of its systems and services, both to protect privacy and ensure safety.
“Recent reports of misuse of Flock Safety license plate reader cameras by several law enforcement officers across our state demand serious attention,” Albers said.
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The senator wrote in his announcement that “technology is only as trustworthy as the people and systems that control it.”
Albers said the trend of misuse that has become more and more widely reported is a concern, but Georgia has a framework in place to help address it.
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The senator also said the current framework wasn’t enough, and that when lawmakers return to the capital in January, he’d be working with law enforcement agencies and safety advocates to ensure the technology is used safely and appropriately for all Georgians.
“Flock must continue strengthening its own technical and contractual safeguards so that they reinforce, rather than substitute for, sound law enforcement policies,” Albers said, noting that the company had also recently changed its policies and released an auditing tool to assist in catching those misusing their systems.
Albers said that while effective tools are needed to protect the public and its defenders, “backing the blue does not mean ‘writing a blank check’ for government surveillance.”
The state will take on Albers’ goals for oversight when the 2027 legislative session arrives, starting in the Georgia Senate Public Safety Committee, which he chairs.
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