Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Multiple Arizona law enforcement agencies, including Chandler, Surprise, and Pinal County, have canceled contracts with automated license plate reader company Flock following concerns over police misuse of data. Chief Michael Pooley of the Apache Junction Police Department emphasized the need for strict guardrails, stating, "we want guardrails we want out officers to know that if you use this type of technology in a way that its not meant for you are going to be held responsible".
As Flock loses contracts, Scottsdale-based Axon is stepping in to offer alternative technology. During a quarterly earnings report, Axon Founder and CEO Rick Smith stated, "we're seeing a significant number of agencies want to come over to Axon and convert from existing license plate readers to us, specifically because of the controls and privacy work that we've done around the space".
Protesters recently gathered outside Axon headquarters to criticize surveillance practices, with Rindala Alajaji of the Electronic Frontier Foundation noting concerns extend to overall surveillance beyond a single company. To address potential data abuse, Smith shared that "we'll be building AI tools to watch for anomalous search behavior, so that we're watching out for potentially abusive patterns and people have access to the data." FOX 10 reached out to Axon for further details on these artificial intelligence tools, but the company did not respond.
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#flock #axon #surveillance #bodycam #video #scottsdale #arizona #news #fox10phoenix
FOX 10 Phoenix delivers breaking news, live events, politics, entertainment, business news and local stories from Phoenix, Arizona and across the nation.
Watch more FOX 10 Phoenix on YouTube:
Arizona headlines: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjk-Nxa5HqPspsiXA-zX6H0bKdtUu-8rF
National headlines: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjk-Nxa5HqPtq-kkrH0cQ3ZIYpLj5MGVT
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Multiple Arizona law enforcement agencies, including Chandler, Surprise, and Pinal County, have canceled contracts with automated license plate reader company Flock following concerns over police misuse of data. Chief Michael Pooley of the Apache Junction Police Department emphasized the need for strict guardrails, stating, "we want guardrails we want out officers to know that if you use this type of technology in a way that its not meant for you are going to be held responsible".
As Flock loses contracts, Scottsdale-based Axon is stepping in to offer alternative technology. During a quarterly earnings report, Axon Founder and CEO Rick Smith stated, "we're seeing a significant number of agencies want to come over to Axon and convert from existing license plate readers to us, specifically because of the controls and privacy work that we've done around the space".
Protesters recently gathered outside Axon headquarters to criticize surveillance practices, with Rindala Alajaji of the Electronic Frontier Foundation noting concerns extend to overall surveillance beyond a single company. To address potential data abuse, Smith shared that "we'll be building AI tools to watch for anomalous search behavior, so that we're watching out for potentially abusive patterns and people have access to the data." FOX 10 reached out to Axon for further details on these artificial intelligence tools, but the company did not respond.
Subscribe to FOX 10 Phoenix!
youtube.com/channel/UCNjfNLnQYbjBEvnS8KFuyGQ?sub_confirmation=1
#flock #axon #surveillance #bodycam #video #scottsdale #arizona #news #fox10phoenix
FOX 10 Phoenix delivers breaking news, live events, politics, entertainment, business news and local stories from Phoenix, Arizona and across the nation.
Watch more FOX 10 Phoenix on YouTube:
Arizona headlines: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjk-Nxa5HqPspsiXA-zX6H0bKdtUu-8rF
National headlines: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjk-Nxa5HqPtq-kkrH0cQ3ZIYpLj5MGVT
Top videos of the week: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjk-Nxa5HqPtUghAGmV3byRgXEYXhZFT3
