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License-plate readers · Madison County

Madison County

Using license-plate readers · 2 agencies documented

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Huntsville Police Department

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety, Vendor not named in source
Cameras
29
29 Flock-brand cameras within more than 200 license plate readers HPD operates in total, per HPD as reported by Axios Huntsville (Aug. 28 and Sept. 18, 2026). The other ALPR vendor(s) are not named. A Dec. 2025 WAFF report put the number of Flock cameras across Huntsville at nearly 100, which likely includes privately owned cameras; the gap is not explained.
Contract
Flock Safety: (Axios Huntsville, Sept. 18, 2026)
Sources
Axios Huntsville, Aug. 28, 2026; Axios Huntsville, Sept. 18, 2026; WAFF 48, Feb. 8, 2022; WAFF 48, Feb. 25, 2026; WAFF 48, Sept. 24, 2026; WAFF 48, Sept. 15, 2026; WAFF 48, Dec. 21, 2025; WAFF 48, Sept. 3, 2026; WAFF 48, Aug. 27, 2026
  1. Feb. 4, 2022 HPD completed an agreement with Flock Safety giving officers access to six Flock cameras in the Huntsville area, all privately owned (mostly at HOA buildings and businesses); an HPD investigator said the department would not buy more. Date is the Friday before the Feb. 8, 2022 report. (WAFF 48, Feb. 8, 2022)
  2. Dec. 21, 2025 A small group met in Big Spring Park to raise questions about the number of Flock cameras in the city; an HPD spokesman said the readers cannot be used to track people. (WAFF 48, Dec. 21, 2025)
  3. March 2026 The city classified Flock audit logs as investigative material exempt from Alabama's open records law, after denying a public records request for a year of logs (request filed Dec. 2025, denied about a month later). (WAFF 48, Sept. 3, 2026)
  4. Aug. 27, 2026 HPD held a media demonstration of its Flock use; it said fewer than 10 percent of officers have access, searches require a case number, use is audited daily, and the cameras helped recover 28 stolen vehicles. (WAFF 48, Aug. 27, 2026; Axios Huntsville, Aug. 28, 2026)
  5. Sept. 16, 2026 A public forum on Flock cameras was held at City Hall, hosted by Council member John Meredith, with Police Chief Kirk Giles and North Alabama Multi-Agency Crime Center director Curt Worshek; Giles said the audit logs would not be released to the public. (WAFF 48, Sept. 15, 2026; Axios Huntsville, Sept. 18, 2026)
  6. Sept. 24, 2026 The City Council rejected a budget amendment by Council member John Meredith that would have ended automatic renewal of license plate reader contracts and required a council vote on each new installation and contract. Vote count not reported. (WAFF 48, Sept. 24, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Axios (Sept. 18, 2026) reported the Flock contract expires in January (presumably January 2027); no dollar amount or start date was reported.
  • HPD says it grants access to other agencies on request and stores data in an Amazon Web Services cloud (Axios, Sept. 18, 2026).
  • Flock cut standard retention from 30 to 7 days; the department said the shorter window causes problems because some crimes are not discovered for days (Axios, Aug. 28, 2026).
  • HPD reported the readers were used to track a kidnapping suspect and return a 16-year-old to Kentucky in Feb. 2026 (WAFF, Feb. 25, 2026).

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Madison Police Department (City of Madison)

Status
Program documented, current use unconfirmed
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
14
14 cameras planned around the city, per WAFF (March 24, 2025); all were to be installed by the end of 2025. No later count found.
Contract
Flock Safety: $86,000 total · approved by City Council (The Madison Record, April 1, 2025)
Sources
The Madison Record, April 1, 2025; WAFF 48, March 24, 2025
  1. March 24, 2025 The City Council approved installing Flock license plate recognition cameras; The Madison Record put the installation cost at $86,000 and WAFF reported about $90,000 for 14 cameras. The chief said data would be kept 30 days under current policy. (The Madison Record, April 1, 2025; WAFF 48, March 24, 2025)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Madison police already had license plate readers in patrol cars before the 2025 purchase (WAFF).
  • No report of the cameras in use within the last 12 months was found; status is unconfirmed.
  • Council approved $86,000 to install the system on March 24, 2025 (WAFF put it at about $90,000); contract start not reported.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Statewide

  1. May 22, 2020 ALDOT opened comment on rules allowing police plate readers on state rights-of-way; Sen. Arthur Orr (R-Decatur) said he would file legislation to limit government use. (BirminghamWatch (from Alabama Daily News), May 22, 2020)
  2. April 15, 2021 SB2 (2021), Orr's bill limiting law enforcement plate-reader use, setting confidentiality, destruction of data and criminal penalties, was amended in Senate Judiciary; it passed the Senate but died in the House. NBC 15 reported it would have required destruction after 30 months. (LegiScan, April 15, 2021; WSFA via WBRC, Aug. 27, 2026; NBC 15 (WPMI), Aug. 24, 2026)
  3. March 17, 2022 Alabama Justice Information Commission rules (Ala. Admin. Code ch. 265-X-6, authority Code of Ala. §41-9-620) took effect: plate-reader data only for criminal justice or public safety purposes; moved to an agency-controlled repository within 24 hours; access and dissemination logs; written public agency policy required before use; retention no more than five years unless tied to an active case (with ALEA notice); vendors must sign an ALEA CJIS security agreement; ALEA audits at least every three years, with access suspended after 90 days of noncompliance; plate, time, location and ORI to go to a State LPR Registry within 48 hours once ALEA establishes it. (Alabama Administrative Code (Alabama Justice Information Commission), March 17, 2022)
  4. Feb. 1, 2023 ALDOT permit requirement for public safety sensors on its right-of-way took full effect; unpermitted devices became removable encroachments. (Alabama Department of Transportation, Jan. 1, 2023)
  5. 2026 The Alabama Sheriffs Association posted support for Flock and similar plate readers, saying agencies should have policies to protect the data (FOX10, Aug. 2, 2026; exact post date not given). FOX10 (Aug. 2, 2026) said the post went up that week. (FOX10 (WALA), Aug. 2, 2026)
  6. Aug. 24, 2026 Sen. Arthur Orr said he plans a 2027 bill: shorter retention (six months to a year), a warrant to access data with emergency exceptions, and tougher penalties for misuse. Later (Sept. 3) he said a statewide ban, stricter limits (retention from two weeks or 30 days up to a year; law-enforcement-only access), or the status quo were options, and called ALDOT's rules minimal. Sen. Robert Stewart (D-Selma) also backs changes. Prefiled bills expected after the Nov. 3, 2026 election; session begins in February 2027. (NBC 15 (WPMI), Aug. 24, 2026; WSFA via WBRC, Aug. 27, 2026; ABC 33/40, Sept. 3, 2026)
  7. Sept. 1, 2026 Rep. Rick Rehm (R-District 85) floated a full ban or tighter data rules; Sen. Donnie Chesteen said the Senate will likely take up the issue early in the session. Gov. Kay Ivey's office had not responded. (WTVY (via FOX10), Sept. 1, 2026)
  8. Sept. 18, 2026 Spectrum News reported no specific Alabama statute governs plate readers and cited an Alabama Policy Institute estimate of close to 2,800 Flock cameras in the state. (Spectrum News, Sept. 18, 2026)
  9. Sept. 22, 2026 ALDOT records obtained by WPMI/ABC 33/40 showed 872 public-safety sensors approved on state rights-of-way statewide; records did not show retention, access, vendor or safeguards. (ABC 33/40, Sept. 22, 2026)

State agencies

Alabama Department of Transportation

Status
Checked: no program found
Vendors
Cameras
Count not documented
Permitting authority; no source shows ALDOT operating plate readers. ABC 33/40 (Sept. 22, 2026) reported ALDOT records show 872 public-safety sensors approved for other agencies on state rights-of-way (430 in central Alabama).
Sources
ABC 33/40, Sept. 22, 2026; Alabama Department of Transportation, Jan. 1, 2023; Alabama Department of Transportation, Sept. 3, 2026; Alabama Department of Transportation, Oct. 31, 2026; BirminghamWatch (from Alabama Daily News), May 22, 2020
  1. May 22, 2020 ALDOT proposed rules letting city, county and state law enforcement place plate readers and other 'public safety sensors' on its rights-of-way; three-year permits, no fee, use limited to law enforcement/public safety, no monetizing data; comments due May 29, 2020. (BirminghamWatch (from Alabama Daily News), May 22, 2020)
  2. Feb. 1, 2023 Unpermitted sensors on ALDOT right-of-way without a submitted application became unlawful encroachments subject to removal (deadline to apply Jan. 31, 2023). Applicants need an ORI and an ALEA CJIS vendor verification permit for each LPR vendor. (Alabama Department of Transportation, Jan. 1, 2023)
  3. Sept. 3, 2026 Active-application list updated; in this region it shows approved LPR permits for Gulf Shores PD and Pine Hill PD and pending LPR applications for Atmore, Brewton, Grove Hill, Semmes and Spanish Fort police. (Alabama Department of Transportation, Sept. 3, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • ALDOT's permit page links ALEA/AJIC rule chapter 265-X-6. The FAQ sets no retention period.

From agency records.

Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (CJIS Division)

Status
Checked: no program found
Vendors
Cameras
Count not documented
No source found showing ALEA operates its own readers. Under AJIC rule chapter 265-X-6 the ALEA CJIS Division is to keep a State LPR Registry, audit capturing agencies at least every three years and report each year to the commission; vendors must sign an ALEA CJIS security agreement. ALDOT's permit FAQ requires an ALEA CJIS vendor verification permit for each LPR vendor. In 2020 ALEA said it had no plans to use ALDOT property for sensors.
Sources
Alabama Administrative Code (Alabama Justice Information Commission), March 17, 2022; Alabama Department of Transportation, Jan. 1, 2023; BirminghamWatch (from Alabama Daily News), May 22, 2020
  1. March 17, 2022 AJIC rule chapter 265-X-6 took effect, giving ALEA CJIS the registry, audit and annual-report duties. (Alabama Administrative Code (Alabama Justice Information Commission), March 17, 2022)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Whether the State LPR Registry has been established is not known (records request).

From agency records.