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License-plate readers · Tuscaloosa County

Tuscaloosa County

Using license-plate readers · 3 agencies documented

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Northport Police Department

Status
Program documented, current use unconfirmed
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
2
ABC 33/40 (Nov. 2022) reported the city had bought two Flock cameras about three years earlier.
Sources
ABC 33/40 (WBMA), Nov. 9, 2022
  1. Nov. 2022 ABC 33/40 reported Northport had bought two Flock cameras about three years earlier, at $2,500 per camera each year. (ABC 33/40 (WBMA), Nov. 9, 2022)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Nothing found from Nov. 2025 onward specific to Northport PD.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Office

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
Count not documented
No count from a citable source; Tuscaloosa Thread (Apr. 2026) reported more than 50 Flock cameras countywide from public and private owners combined. A figure of 30 for the sheriff traces to the Atlas of Surveillance and is not used.
Sources
Tuscaloosa Thread, Aug. 19, 2026; Tuscaloosa Thread, Aug. 25, 2026; WVUA 23, date not shown
  1. Aug. 2026 Two Flock cameras in Tuscaloosa County, one in the north and one in the west, were knocked out when their poles were cut. Sheriff's Sgt. Josh Hastings said 'It appears people are taking saws and cutting the poles' and called the cameras 'a huge tool for us.' Owner of the two cameras not stated. Exact date not reported; story ran Aug. 19. (Tuscaloosa Thread, Aug. 19, 2026; WVUA 23, date not shown)

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Tuscaloosa Police Department

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
Count not documented
City declined to give a count (Tuscaloosa Thread, Apr. 2026). The Crimson White (Aug. 2026) said TPD owns 19 Flock cameras, but Tuscaloosa Thread attributes the same figure to the Atlas of Surveillance, so it is not used here.
Sources
The Crimson White, Aug. 23, 2026; Tuscaloosa Thread, April 21, 2026; WBRC, Aug. 27, 2026
  1. April 2026 Brent Blankley, the city's executive director of public safety, said police use Flock cameras across the city; city representatives declined to give a camera count, vote dates or contract length. (Tuscaloosa Thread, April 21, 2026)
  2. Aug. 27, 2026 Indivisible West Alabama held a public forum on plate readers in Tuscaloosa County and said it would take residents' questions to city and county officials (WBRC said 'Thursday'; story ran Aug. 27). (WBRC, Aug. 27, 2026)

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.