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License-plate readers · Bristol County

Bristol County

Using license-plate readers · 11 agencies documented

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Acushnet Police Department

Status
Use suspended
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
1
One Flock camera on Main Street, in use since early 2024.
Contract
Flock Safety: · from 2024 · to Aug. 2027 · approved by Board of Selectmen (pilot), February 2024 · One-year pilot funded through the state law enforcement trust fund, later extended two years per a selectman. (The New Bedford Light, Sept. 3, 2026)
  1. Feb. 2024 Board approved the police chief's one-year Flock pilot request. (The New Bedford Light, Sept. 3, 2026)
  2. Sept. 2, 2026 Board of Selectmen voted unanimously to stop police use of Flock pending review of contract termination; nationwide sharing had been on until the vote. (The New Bedford Light, Sept. 3, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Police chief said no written policy exists.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Attleboro Police Department

Status
Ended or removed
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
2
Two cameras near an I-95 exit.
Contract
Flock Safety: about $3,000 per camera year · from 2022 · Subscription being canceled, per police chief. (The Sun Chronicle, March 23, 2026)
  1. March 2026 Police chief said the city is canceling its Flock subscription, citing cost. (The Sun Chronicle, March 23, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Story first published March 23, 2026 and updated Sept. 29, 2026; exact decision date not given. Boston 25 (Sept. 17, 2026) also lists Attleboro among 2026 departures.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Dartmouth Police Department

Status
Ended or removed
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
6
Five fixed Flock cameras and one mobile camera (mobile contract already expired).
Contract
Flock Safety: about $20,000 year · to Sept. 29, 2026 · Not renewed; used for nearly three years. (The New Bedford Light, Sept. 3, 2026)
  1. Aug. 31, 2026 Police chief told the Select Board the department would not renew its Flock contract, which ends Sept. 29. (The New Bedford Light, Sept. 3, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Aug. 31 inferred from 'Monday' in a Thursday, Sept. 3 story.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Easton Police Department

Status
Ended or removed
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
Count not documented
No count disclosed.
  1. Aug. 2026 Police said the town is ending its Flock contract; network sharing was turned off and use stopped pending camera removal. (NBC 10 News (WJAR), Aug. 31, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Reported Aug. 31, 2026; decision date not given.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Fairhaven Police Department

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
6
Six Flock ALPR cameras at entry points to town and at other traffic bottlenecks (four since 2023, two added in 2026).
Contract
Flock Safety: $62,700 term · from Sept. 2023 · to Sept. 2028 · Five-year contract for four cameras, paid with ARPA funds. (Town of Fairhaven, Aug. 10, 2026)
Contract
Flock Safety: $4,500 total · from March 2026 · to Sept. 2028 · Two more cameras, paid from federal drug-seizure funds. (Town of Fairhaven, Aug. 10, 2026)
  1. Aug. 10, 2026 Select Board held a discussion on Flock cameras with the police chief; no motion was planned. (Town of Fairhaven, Aug. 10, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Chief's memo: images deleted within 30 days unless flagged; audit logs kept permanently; data is shared with other law enforcement agencies (agencies not listed).
  • A town meeting member drafted a bylaw amendment to require removal (New Bedford Light, July 2026).

From agency records.

Fall River Police Department

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
Count not documented
No count disclosed.
  1. July 2026 New Bedford's city spokesman listed Fall River among nearby communities that already had Flock cameras. (The New Bedford Light, July 27, 2026)

Secondhand report; not yet confirmed with the agency.

New Bedford Police Department

Status
Use suspended
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
20
20 Flock cameras as of June 2026 per police: 7 standalone Flock units plus 13 city-owned cameras running Flock software. WJAR counted 21 devices including one Flock mobile trailer.
Contract
Flock Safety: $81,000 total · from Nov. 2024 · November 2024 order placed through an IT company for six Falcon units and 15 Falcon Wing LPRs. An annual subscription paid to Insight Public Sector is due to begin January 2027; no amount reported. (The New Bedford Light, July 27, 2026)
  1. Nov. 2024 City ordered Flock hardware in November 2024, with installation in early 2025. (The New Bedford Light, July 27, 2026)
  2. Nov. 2025 Police turned off nationwide data sharing around the last week of November 2025; about 125 Massachusetts and Rhode Island departments kept access. Outside searches fell from more than 300,000 in November 2025 to about 27,000 in December 2025. (The New Bedford Light, July 27, 2026)
  3. Aug. 2026 Police announced they were temporarily suspending use of the Flock cameras while they review how the system has been used (announced by Aug. 11, 2026). (Boston.com, Aug. 11, 2026)
  4. Aug. 25, 2026 City Council voted unanimously to ask that the 20 cameras be removed or covered while rules are developed; the request is not binding on the police chief. (CAI / WBUR, Aug. 27, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Police say plate data is deleted after 30 days unless flagged for an investigation, and federal sharing is disabled.
  • Aug. 25 date inferred: the CAI story dated Aug. 26, 2026 (a Wednesday) says the vote was Tuesday.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

North Attleborough Police Department

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
7
Seven Flock cameras, the last installed in August 2026.
Contract
Flock Safety: $21,000 year (NBC 10 News (WJAR), Sept. 15, 2026)
  1. Sept. 2026 Town Council and town manager agreed to pause new installations, cut retention from 30 days to seven, create a public transparency portal and start a camera audit program. (NBC 10 News (WJAR), Sept. 15, 2026)
  2. Sept. 14, 2026 Council motion asking the manager to pause data sharing with other cities and towns failed 4-3. (NBC 10 News (WJAR), Sept. 15, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Six of 77 officers can use the system; about 2.1 million plates captured in August, 107 searched.
  • Sept. 14 inferred from 'Monday meeting' in a Tuesday, Sept. 15 story. Follow-up meeting set for Sept. 28 not checked.
  • A Sun Chronicle related-article teaser said North Attleboro was temporarily halting plate reader use; not confirmed.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Seekonk Police Department

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
Count not documented
No count disclosed.
  1. March 2026 Police chief said Seekonk uses Flock and decides on renewal each year based on funding. (The Sun Chronicle, March 23, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Statement date uncertain (story published March 23, updated Sept. 29, 2026).

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Taunton Police Department

Status
Program documented, current use unconfirmed
Vendors
Vendor not named in source
Cameras
Count not documented
No count disclosed.
  1. July 2025 Named in an ACLU of Massachusetts list, reported by Boston 25, of departments using Flock or other plate readers as of July 2025. (Boston 25 News, Oct. 21, 2025)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Vendor not specified in the list.
  • Listed as unconfirmed: the only source is an ACLU of Massachusetts list, as reported by Boston 25, of departments using Flock or other plate readers as of July 2025; no agency record of current use was found.

Secondhand report; not yet confirmed with the agency.

Westport Police Department

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
Count not documented
No count disclosed.
  1. July 2026 New Bedford's city spokesman listed Westport among nearby towns that already had Flock cameras. (The New Bedford Light, July 27, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Listed from a New Bedford city spokesman's statement that the town already uses Flock; not confirmed with town records.

Secondhand report; not yet confirmed with the agency.

Statewide

  1. Jan. 14, 2015 Sen. Cynthia Creem filed S.1817 in the 2015-2016 session to regulate automatic license plate reader systems, including a 14-day deletion requirement and annual reporting; it was referred to the Transportation committee. A similar bill (S.1648) had been filed in 2013-2014. (Massachusetts Legislature, Jan. 14, 2015)
  2. Jan. 14, 2025 Rep. Steven Owens (D-Watertown) filed H.3755, "An Act establishing driver privacy protections," with Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa added on Jan. 21, 2025. The bill would create a new Chapter 90K limiting government ALPR use: 14-day retention unless tied to a specific criminal investigation, a warrant to reach other entities' ALPR data, no sharing except in judicial proceedings, and no use to track constitutionally protected activity. (Legiplex (Massachusetts Legislature bill record), Feb. 27, 2025; NBC Boston / State House News Service, Sept. 9, 2026)
  3. Oct. 7, 2025 The ACLU of Massachusetts published network audits and contract records it obtained through public records requests to nearly 80 police departments, reporting that Massachusetts police spent over $2 million on Flock technology over three years and that out-of-state agencies searched data from Massachusetts departments. An update on Feb. 26, 2026 said more than 80 Massachusetts police departments have Flock contracts. (ACLU of Massachusetts, Data for Justice Project, Oct. 7, 2025)
  4. Jan. 2026 The ACLU of Massachusetts sent a letter to municipal leaders whose police use Flock or another plate-reader vendor, asking them within 30 days to confirm their vendor, obtain settings and contract terms, disable sharing outside Massachusetts, and end contracts where outside sharing cannot be stopped. (ACLU of Massachusetts, Jan. 1, 2026)
  5. March 2026 The Joint Committee on Transportation endorsed H.3755 on an 11-0 vote, after which the bill went to House Ways and Means, where it remained as of September 2026. Its sponsor said he expects to refile a revised version next session. (NBC Boston / State House News Service, Sept. 9, 2026; The New Bedford Light / State House News Service, Sept. 10, 2026)
  6. Sept. 2026 Gov. Maura Healey's office referred questions on plate readers to the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, whose spokesperson said the office supports appropriate safeguards and will keep monitoring the issue; no executive action was described. A six-member conference committee was working on data privacy legislation (S.2619 / H.5479), which the H.3755 sponsor said may affect ALPR data. (The New Bedford Light / State House News Service, Sept. 10, 2026; NBC Boston / State House News Service, Sept. 9, 2026)
  7. Sept. 2026 The ACLU of Massachusetts said 25 Massachusetts municipalities had canceled Flock contracts or ended pilots over the preceding 18 months. (NBC Boston / State House News Service, Sept. 9, 2026)
  8. Sept. 16, 2026 Rep. Adam Scanlon (D-Bristol) said he plans to file legislation with Rep. Marcus Vaughn setting statewide standards for plate readers, covering data retention, access rules, and auditing. No bill number was given. (Boston 25 News, Sept. 16, 2026)

State agencies

Massachusetts State Police

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Motorola Solutions
Cameras
Count not documented
No count disclosed.
  1. 2020 In 2020, State Police stopped using a plate-reader surveillance system after finding that a glitch had been recording inaccurate data for more than five years, according to MassLive's 2023 reporting. In that same reporting, a State Police spokesperson named Neology as a technology company the agency uses. (MassLive (via Government Technology), Oct. 17, 2023)
  2. 2025 During Boston's 2025 Flock trial, the State Police submitted 2 of the 15 requests to add plates to the Boston system's hot list. (City of Boston, Sept. 15, 2026)
  3. Oct. 7, 2025 The ACLU of Massachusetts reported that the State Police have contracts with Vigilant Solutions, a plate-reader data company. (ACLU of Massachusetts, Data for Justice Project, Oct. 7, 2025)
  4. Sept. 2026 A state public safety spokesperson told the Globe that the State Police do not use Flock Safety cameras. (The Boston Globe, Sept. 2, 2026)
  5. Sept. 4, 2026 In a statement, the State Police said fewer than 2% of members can query ALPR data, that each query requires a case number or reference, a reason, a time period and a geographic area, that users must complete privacy training, and that queries are monitored and audited. (The New Bedford Light / State House News Service, Sept. 10, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Vendor: a State Police spokesperson named Neology in 2023 reporting; in 2025 the ACLU of Massachusetts named Vigilant Solutions, a Motorola Solutions company.
  • The 2020 date is year-only; the source gives no month.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.