A representative for Flock Safety, a company whose license-plate-reading cameras are increasingly deployed by law enforcement, acknowledged that its database can be used to search for women seeking abortions in states where the procedure is banned. Trevor Chandler, senior director of public affairs for Flock Safety, made the admission during a presentation to Suffolk County, New York, officials earlier this month.
Chandler stated that while the company's technology can "reconstruct" a person's movements, which could include circumstances related to abortion, states can opt out of certain search functions. He noted that New York agencies using Flock Safety cameras have the "reproductive-health search filter turned on," which prevents searches related to reproductive health. "Every agency that utilizes Flock in New York has our reproductive-health search filter turned on," Chandler said, as reported by The New York Post. "This prevents any searches related to reproductive health to make sure that no searches are made out of compliance with state law."
However, police departments in states that do not opt out can potentially identify individuals seeking abortions through license-plate searches. Furthermore, these departments can share Flock data nationally, raising concerns that law enforcement in states with abortion bans could track individuals who travel to states where abortion remains legal. Currently, officers do not require a warrant to access Flock's database.
In June 2025, Flock Safety addressed a report by 404 Media alleging that a Texas sheriff's office had used the company's database to "target people seeking reproductive healthcare." Flock Safety and the Johnson County Sheriff's office called the claim "misleading" and false, asserting the searches were primarily part of a missing persons investigation involving a woman who had reportedly self-administered an abortion and then disappeared. According to the report, the Johnson County Sheriff's office searched over 83,000 cameras, including those in states where abortion is legal.
Despite the company's claims, court documents and police records obtained by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) suggest otherwise. The lead detective in the Texas case described it as a "death investigation" of a "non-viable fetus" in a sworn affidavit. Records indicate that deputies collected evidence related to the abortion, reviewed text messages, and inquired about potential charges. The woman ultimately faced no charges.
This Texas case prompted national backlash, with Illinois's secretary of state urging an investigation and House Oversight Committee Democrats launching a probe into Flock's surveillance practices. Johnson County Sheriff Adam King has since been indicted on felony charges in an unrelated case.
Flock Safety confirmed that police in states with abortion restrictions can conduct such searches. However, a company representative clarified that the "filter" functions more as a logged reason for the search and that the system does not automatically flag or track individuals suspected of seeking an abortion. The company stated that "certain states have enacted laws restricting the use of [license-plate-reader] data in connection with immigration enforcement or reproductive health investigations."