Judge Rules Flock License Plate Search Unconstitutional in Fourth Amendment Case
Judge Sara Hill finds a warrantless Flock license plate search unconstitutional, suppressing evidence and intensifying federal and state scrutiny nationwide.
Summary
In the week of October 3, 2026, Judge Sara Hill ruled that a Tulsa, Oklahoma sheriff’s deputy violated a woman’s Fourth Amendment rights by searching Flock Safety for her license plate without a warrant or an apparent reason beyond its California origin. The deputy used her Flock travel history to justify searching her car, where 91 pounds of meth were allegedly found. Hill suppressed all subsequent evidence as the product of the unlawful search. The nonbinding decision is among the first federal rulings to find a Flock search unconstitutional.
Hill called Flock a form of indiscriminate mass surveillance because it records every vehicle passing network-connected cameras and provides location histories to police on demand, unlike the targeted cellphone location access considered in Carpenter v. United States. Florida, Texas and numerous local and state governments plan to stop using the technology. On Friday, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders introduced the Block Flock Act, which would prohibit federal agencies from using automated license plate readers such as Flock. CEO Garretty Langley has advocated a privacy and safety compromise and apologized to women stalked by law enforcement officers using Flock. Amid cancellations, Flock has reportedly offered voluntary employee buyouts to reduce its workforce.
Positives
- Judge Sara Hill required a warrant for the deputy’s Flock search, reinforcing Fourth Amendment protections for stored vehicle location histories.
- All evidence obtained after the unlawful Flock search was suppressed, applying a direct consequence to warrantless surveillance.
- Florida, Texas and numerous local and state governments plan to stop using automated license plate tracking technology.
- Senator Bernie Sanders introduced the Block Flock Act to bar federal agencies from using automated license plate readers.
- CEO Garretty Langley apologized to women stalked by law enforcement officers using Flock and advocated a privacy and safety compromise.
Risks & concerns
- Flock records every vehicle passing network-connected cameras and makes historical location data available to law enforcement on demand.
- A Tulsa sheriff’s deputy searched the woman’s plate without a warrant, apparently because the vehicle carried a California plate.
- The suppression order affects evidence from a car search that allegedly uncovered 91 pounds of meth.
- The ruling creates no binding precedent, leaving the legality of other warrantless Flock searches unresolved.
- Cancellations have reportedly prompted Flock to offer voluntary employee buyouts as it seeks to reduce its workforce.