Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe has signed an executive order to establish safeguards for automated license plate readers, like Flock Cameras.
Kehoe said in a statement that the order is aimed at protecting residents' constitutional rights and to prevent people from misusing the license plate readers, including data obtained from Flock Safety cameras.
"The unchecked collection and indefinite storage of location data belonging to law-abiding citizens raises substantial, valid constitutional and privacy concerns," Kehoe wrote. "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."
The order directs the Missouri Department of Public Safety to create safeguards for state agencies and state-funded law enforcement departments using the automatic license plate readers.
Kehoe said the misuse of these cameras will trigger immediate criminal referral, disciplinary proceedings and a report to the Missouri Department of Public Safety for discipline or officer license revocation.
The order:
- Requires most license plate and vehicle data to be permanently deleted within 30 days
- Bans vendors from selling, sharing or commercializing Missouri-generated data
- Restricts automated license plate reader technology to only legitimate criminal justice and life saving purposes
- Establishes accountability measures to penalize misuse and prevent it
- Prohibits combining artificial intelligence facial recognition technology with automated license plate readers
Kehoe encouraged local agencies to voluntarily commit to those practices when possible under existing contracts and laws. He said the framework will be a stopgap until state lawmakers take action. He called this executive order a "first step" to protecting Missourians from people abusing the data while also understanding the benefits they provide law enforcement.
Missouri Department of Public Safety Director Mark James said the cameras have been helpful for officers and that there needs to be guardrails.
"Our department looks forward to collaborating with state and local law enforcement agencies, as well as the members of the Missouri General Assembly, to put this executive order into action," he wrote in a statement.
Flock Safety cameras have garnered widespread attention and criticism in recent months. The company has more than 120,000 cameras across the country that have been used by various police departments. Law enforcement have said it's led them to solve crimes while privacy advocates have argued that the cameras lead to significant privacy concerns over who has access to the data as well as how the cameras have collected license plate information from people who haven't been charged with a crime.
St. Charles County Police banned Flock cameras last month after the department said a former civilian employee abused system data. A Brentwood police officer was also accused of stalking his ex-wife. St. Louis County police determined the officer made policy violations but didn't break any laws. The Pulaski County Sheriff's Department also announced it would also stop using Flock cameras, and immigration rights advocates have also criticized the cameras.
Copyright 2026 St. Louis Public Radio
