A representative from Flock sought to reassure skeptical lawmakers about its commitment to data safety and rooting out bad actors who have abused the system.
Kevin Kane, director of government relations for Flock Safety, took questions from Kentucky lawmakers the committee hearing and stressed the company's efforts to respond to privacy concerns that have led to cancelled contracts and public outcry. In his testimony, Kane noted new audit guardrails.
"Whenever the Flock network is accessed, it requires a search reason. Flock will also now be requiring all law enforcement agencies to include case code as well," he said.
Elizabethtown Police Chief Jeremy Thompson described arguments about the cameras online as overblown and misleading, saying their ability to aid law enforcement in tracking stolen vehicles, missing persons, and help with retail theft is what should be emphasized.
"I'm telling you in nearly 30 years of law enforcement, this is the best piece of technology to assist law enforcement in real-time information to help solve crime to make our citizens safer," he said.
But Kate Miller with the ACLU of Kentucky countered that the wide proliferation of the cameras and advancements in technology raise red flags that did not exist with previous plate readers.
"We are in a far different position today than we were 10 years ago in terms of being able to use AI, the quality of the technology. It really presents a unique and dangerous opportunity to engage in mass surveillance," she testified.
Both Democratic and Republican lawmakers expressed varying levels of concern about the cameras with some defending their use.
"Overwhelmingly, I am hearing that the very citizens that we serve do not want to be monitored and surveilled in this way," Republican Rep. Savannah Maddox said.
Louisville Democrat Nima Kulkarni pointed to reports of Flock-gathered data being shared with immigration enforcement and used to stalk or harass women.
"I would just ask that we don't condemn the tool, we condemn the improper use of it," GOP Sen. Danny Carroll, a former police officer, added.
While the ACLU is arguing governments pause contracts with Flock and launch independent audits, the chair of the Interim Judiciary Committee appeared more likely to endorse some additional tightening of regulations.
In his weekly press briefing, Gov.Andy Beshear was asked about the controversial camera systems and told reporters he doesn't want to label them as all good or all bad. Instead, he said he sees the issue as one that should be "hyperlocal."
"We should be listening to even neighborhoods and what they think about them. Neighborhoods can make very different decisions, but they should be the ones on the ground floor, getting to say we don't like them because we've seen abuses and we're worried about privacy, or some neighborhoods saying we just had too much crime and we believe that this could be a method to decrease it," the governor said.
Kentucky lawmakers did tighten regulations on the cameras during the 2026 session, adding rules requiring the deletion of any data collected after 90 days. But with more reports of abuse of the cameras surfacing, lawmakers appear poised to take further action.
Meanwhile, Kentucky U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie has teased legislation that would withhold federal money from municipalities and police departments that deploy the plate readers.