Governor Mike Kehoe signed an executive order Wednesday putting new limits on how Missouri law enforcement agencies can use Flock license-plate-reader camera networks, banning artificial intelligence facial recognition integration and requiring that collected vehicle data be deleted after 30 days. The order also prohibits companies from selling license plate and vehicle data collected through the cameras.
Kehoe framed the move as an interim fix, telling reporters the executive order will remain in effect until the Missouri General Assembly enacts its own statutory restrictions, according to ABC 17 News. “The government should not be building a permanent record of where law-abiding Missourians go, who they visit, or how they live their daily lives,” Kehoe said, describing the order as the first step in creating safeguards against data abuse while preserving public safety benefits. Executive Order 26-18 limits use of camera images to legitimate criminal justice and lifesaving purposes, and directs the Missouri Department of Public Safety to establish rules for using the technology, per the Office of Governor Mike Kehoe.
A St. Charles County Case Sparked the Backlash
The order arrives weeks after St. Charles County Police Chief Kurt Frisz ordered all 28 county-managed Flock cameras covered with plastic bags and taken offline in August, after an internal audit found a civilian police employee had misused the system for personal reasons, including tracking an ex, according to the St. Charles County Police Department. Hoodline previously reported on the scandal in coverage of that shutdown. Kehoe also highlighted a separate case out of New York, where an investigator was accused of conducting unlawful searches, ABC 17 News reported.
That New York case involved Albany County sheriff's investigator Laurie Moore, who was arrested and charged with official misconduct after allegedly conducting more than 4,000 unauthorized searches on Flock Safety cameras, including roughly 3,000 queries targeting her ex-girlfriend's car, according to Biometric Update. The Albany County investigation began after outside information prompted an audit of law enforcement database activity, the outlet reported. Executive Order 26-18 explicitly cited that case in justifying the state's intervention.
Sheriffs and Federal Lawmakers Split Over Cameras
Missouri Sheriffs' Association President Matt Oller had already endorsed statewide ALPR restrictions in August, backing mandatory data deletion timelines and prohibitions on vendors selling Missouri vehicle data, per Missourinet. Oller emphasized that sheriffs rely on license plate readers to solve violent crimes, but said contracts must ensure agencies retain sole ownership of collected data, the outlet noted. The Pulaski County Sheriff's Office went further, dropping its Flock contract entirely and scheduling removal of seven cameras across Dixon, Crocker, and Waynesville by October, according to ABC 17 News and KBIA. Sheriff Stacy Ball said public trust and individual liberties outweighed the cameras' operational benefits, even though no misuse had occurred within his own department, KBIA reported.
At the federal level, Senator Josh Hawley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism, launched a congressional investigation into Flock Safety in August, demanding information from CEO Garrett Langley about user auditing and data privacy safeguards, according to KCUR. Hawley cited the St. Charles County misuse incident when announcing the probe. ABC 17 News also confirmed Hawley's role as chair of the crime and counterterrorism subcommittee driving that inquiry.
Congress Weighs Cutting Federal Money Over Camera Rules
Missouri Representative Eric Burlison joined Kentucky Representative Thomas Massie in September to introduce the Flock-Off Act, which would prohibit federal grant funds from purchasing, operating, or maintaining ALPRs and biometric surveillance devices, according to the Office of Representative Thomas Massie. The bill would require recipients of federal funds to dismantle covered camera systems within 180 days or face funding withholding. A separate bipartisan measure, the No FLOCK Act, was introduced September 15 by Representatives Raja Krishnamoorthi and Michael Cloud, directing the U.S. Department of Transportation to withhold 10 percent of federal highway funds from states that fail to limit ALPR use to five approved purposes, Hoodline reported in its analysis of that bill. Permitted uses under that legislation include toll collection, identifying stolen vehicles, locating missing persons, and investigating felony offenses.
Columbia's Camera Debate Continues Locally
Closer to home, ABC 17 News reported that the Columbia City Council plans to hold a public hearing on Flock cameras, in a city that has more than 100 of the devices, including one placed at the intersection of Ninth and Walnut streets in downtown Columbia in August. Reactions to camera networks have varied widely across Missouri municipalities in recent weeks: Jefferson City's council voted in August to approve a $51,000 contract renewal keeping 21 Flock readers in place through May 2027, with Police Chief Eric Wilde defending the network's role in solving three homicides, per Hoodline's report on that renewal. Parkville, meanwhile, suspended its 15-unit camera program in September amid public outcry over data retention and third-party access, a move that coincided with the introduction of a state House bill mandating 30-day data destruction.
License-plate cameras have raised broader concerns about abuse and misuse following reports of police officers violating civil rights, ABC 17 News noted. Kehoe's order establishes interim guardrails, including the 30-day data purge and the ban on AI integration, intended to preserve the technology's public safety utility while curbing systemic abuse until state lawmakers act on permanent statutory rules, according to the Office of Governor Mike Kehoe.
