City leaders are pressing forward with an expansion of license plate recognition cameras, adding new installations along Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway and other major corridors, according to planning documents filed with the city. 

The cameras, provided by Atlanta-based Flock Safety, are being deployed on behalf of the Maricopa Police Department. Approved right-of-way permits and traffic control plans show the new camera will be installed at MCG and Murphy Road, mounted on a pole with solar panels and an external battery pack.

This camera marks 45 total in Maricopa city limits, up from 32 cameras two years ago.

The at-times controversial cameras are a critical tool for investigations, not surveillance, said Maricopa Police Chief Mark Goodman. 

“Maricopa Police Department utilizes Flock automatic license plate reader cameras strictly as an investigative tool to enhance public safety,” Goodman told InMaricopa. “These cameras are strategically located on major roadways and arterials to assist officers in solving crimes such as stolen vehicles, missing persons and locating suspects wanted for serious offenses. In some instances, data from Flock cameras serves as our only investigative lead in trying to solve a crime. Without this data, these cases would likely go cold very quickly.” 

Flock cameras are designed to capture only license plates from the rear of vehicles, not drivers or passengers, said Goodman. 

“The system is not capable of facial recognition, livestreaming or constant monitoring of individual activity,” he said, adding that access is secured, requires unique logins and is governed by protocols meant to protect public rights. 

He said the department takes civil liberties seriously, using ALPR data as a supplement to investigations rather than as the sole basis for arrests. 

A 2023 InMaricopa survey, however, showed residents divided. Only about half of 620 respondents said the cameras made them feel safer. 

They’re out in the county, too.

“Those cameras enhance public safety,” said Sheriff Ross Teeple at a May meeting in Maricopa. “All the Flock cameras do is just record traffic that goes by, and I can’t tell you how many Silver Alerts have been resolved and Amber Alerts that have been resolved from those cameras. 

“We used them a lot for the smugglers for the last eight years,” the sheriff added. 

Maricopa’s expansion comes as other Arizona communities move in the opposite direction. Last month, the Sedona City Council voted to suspend its license plate reader program, citing privacy concerns and fears over data sharing. Council members said the program lacked adequate public input and questioned whether residents’ everyday movements were being logged without cause. Now, Flagstaff is considering the same.

Nationally, civil liberties groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union have been outspoken critics. In a recent post, the ACLU warned that Flock’s nationwide database enables mass surveillance, noting that the company has resisted independent technical review. 

The group also flagged newer features, such as AI-driven tools that flag “suspicious” travel patterns, as particularly troubling. 

Coalitions in other states have echoed those concerns. In Colorado, civil rights organizations uncovered evidence that local police had searched Flock data for federal immigration enforcement purposes, raising alarm about data being shared beyond its intended use. 

Flock Safety has emphasized that its cameras do not use facial recognition and are focused solely on license plates. InMaricopa has reported on more than a dozen arrests credited to Flock cameras that pinpointed suspect vehicles in the city.

See the location of the Flock cameras in Maricopa