Trump Weighs In On Flock Cameras

President Donald Trump came out in favor of Flock surveillance cameras on Sunday, saying that he liked the controversial technology because it helps law enforcement. 

“I sort of like them because of that, because of law enforcement, but some people don’t. They think it’s an infringement, but I like them,” Trump told reporters while flying on Air Force One. 

Debate over Flock’s solar-paneled license plate readers has erupted in recent months with supporters saying that they help police fight crime while others argue that they create a surveillance state. Leftist critics worry the cameras will be used by ICE to arrest illegal immigrants.  

Flock says that its cameras take pictures of vehicles and license plates that can be used by “authorized users,” such as law enforcement, to track down leads and solve criminal cases. It says that it does not use facial recognition technology, “continuously” track vehicles, or provide live video footage. 

Around 5,000 law enforcement agencies are estimated to use Flock cameras and many police organizations have come out to defend the use of the cameras. 

“These are put out into public places where everybody has the right to record them anyways; if you’re standing on the sidewalk, you can pull out your phone and record every car that drives by there,” said Texas Municipal Police Association liaison John Wilkerson. “I really hope the individuals out there, destroying the camera systems, never become a victim of a crime themselves.”

Other organizations, like the Fraternal Order of Police, back the technology used but have criticized Flock for its handling of privacy concerns and called for more safeguards. 

Republican Govs. Ron DeSantis of Florida and Greg Abbott of Texas have both taken action to restrict the use of Flock cameras. DeSantis said last month that use of the cameras was “out of control” and took action to remove Flock cameras from state highways. 

“I’m all about having law enforcement have tools to hold criminals accountable,” he said. “I think that’s important that we do that, and no one’s been stronger on law enforcement than me, but I don’t want to have this become a surveillance state.”

In Texas, Abbott paused state funds from being used to fund Flock cameras by state agencies. 

Trump has taken a decisively pro-technology stance as president, backing the construction of new data centers and supporting the development of artificial intelligence. 

“It’s going to be more good than bad,” he said when asked Sunday if he was downplaying concerns about AI. “And I’ve said it from the very beginning. Whoever wins AI, and we’re leading by a lot. Whoever wins AI wins.”

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