Trump Weighs In On Controversial Flock Cameras

President Donald Trump weighed in for the first time on what are commonly referred to as Flock cameras, the controversial surveillance cameras that track license plates and car details.

The president said on Monday that the technology has “pros and cons,” adding that he would render a verdict on where he lands on the matter “over the next couple of weeks.”

“There’s a lot of debate right now about these license plate scanners that are going up across the country. They’re called Flock cameras,” Daily Caller White House correspondent Reagan Reese told the president. “People are worried that the police might misuse them. Have you heard of them?”

“Well, it’s being studied right now,” Trump responded. “You know, you have pros and cons, right? It’s being studied right now. We’ll have an answer sort of as to our views on it over the next couple of weeks.”

The cameras in question are called automated license plate readers, or ALPRs. Many of the controversial cameras are sold by the company Flock Safety.

As highlighted by The Daily Wire, the cameras capture information about vehicles as they pass, recording license plates, details on vehicles’ make, model, color, and distinguishing features, including bumper stickers, custom paint, or visible damage. That information is stored by Flock on behalf of its customers, allowing them to track and, in some cases, intercept vehicles involved in criminal activity.

Proponents say the cameras will keep more Americans safe and save lives. They also argue that they aren’t a detriment to freedom since these vehicles are in plain sight, and therefore allowed to be observed.

Those against Flock cameras view them as an infringement on Americans’ privacy and say they could too easily be abused by those with access, including law enforcement. The movement against Flock cameras has picked up steam from both Republicans and Democrats. Sitting members of Congress, including Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY), Tim Burchett (R-TN), Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), Jesus “Chuy” Garcia (D-IL), and Scott Perry (R-PA), have all argued against the surveillance technology.

In an opinion piece published by The Daily Wire last month, David Dunmoyer of the Texas Public Policy Foundation wrote that the cameras are “an assault” on our “constitutional freedoms.” Dunmoyer wrote about how sophisticated this technology has become with the addition of artificial intelligence, and noted that Americans still have no idea what “price” this supposed safety feature will cost us and “also have no say in the matter.”

Related: Flock Cameras Are An Assault On Your Constitutional Freedoms