State Auditor Andrew Sorrell believes that Flock cameras used by law enforcement should be illegal in the Yellowhammer State.
The CEO of surveillance technology company Flock Safety, Garrett Langley, recently apologized for instances of corruption by officials using the technology, but that hasn’t stopped the recent backlash against license plate reader cameras across the country.
Sorrell discussed the issue Friday on “The Rightside” with Allison Sinclair and Amie Beth Shaver, in partnership with Yellowhammer News.
“Well, we need a legislator to introduce a bill that makes flock cameras illegal in Alabama,” Sorrell said. “We don’t need a moratorium on them. We need them removed. I want every single one of these things gone, and I want to get rid of the red light traffic cameras too.”
The former state representative said the cameras are a violation of Americans’ Fourth Amendment rights.
“We have a right to be secure in our persons, so the government tracking where I am when I’ve done nothing wrong,” he argued. “I’m under no suspicion of a crime. There’s no warrant issued. There’s no probable cause issued. There’s nothing supported by oath or affirmation why the government should be tracking me, and yet they are.”
Sorrell believes there’s just too many opportunities for law enforcement officials to abuse the technology.
“I commute down to Montgomery to do my job at the Capitol. I’m being tracked the whole way down, the whole way back. A reasonable person would not expect that, and this data is all being turned over to local governments, which I have a big problem with because you you know we’ve both seen it. It’s been abused,” he said.
“There have been at least 50 law enforcement officials who have used these systems to stalk their ex-wife or whatever forever whatever nefarious purpose. They’re logging in without any kind of case ID. They’re logging in without any kind of warrant or any kind of probable cause. They’re literally just using them to stalk people, and obviously that-that’s what was going to happen. We, I mean, that’s the whole reason we have a Fourth Amendment is to prevent abuses like this.”
While admitting that the cameras can be used to help solve some crimes, he said it’s not worth the cost to personal freedom in Alabama.
“Well, certainly there’s there’s incidences where crimes are solved,” he said. “You know, maybe somebody steals a car, and the flock camera catches the license plate on the stolen car, and they’re able to pick the car up. Sure, I don’t deny that some of those things happen. The question you have to ask yourself is, are you willing to trade your your freedom for security, you know. If you want maximum security, go live in a maximum security prison. You’ll have maximum security, but you’ll have zero liberty.”
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on X @Yaffee
