Flock Safety, Axon, Motorola and Verkada CEOs Decline Senate Judiciary Subcommittee Testimony on License Plate Reader Networks

The four firms operate license plate readers deployed across thousands of U.S. law enforcement agencies. Flock alone maintains a database searchable by participating departments, with documented access by non-client agencies through data-sharing agreements. Los Angeles ended one Flock contract while simultaneously advancing a separate 10-year, $235 million Axon deal for 1,600 readers, illustrating the commercial incentive to maintain relationships with municipal buyers even as oversight pressure rises.

Primary documents from the hearing record show Sen. Hawley citing an earlier Flock letter acknowledging human-image search capability and Sen. Blumenthal framing non-appearance as evidence of accountability avoidance. Five Indianapolis officers face charges for misusing Flock data for personal tracking, confirming documented misuse vectors. The firms' absence avoids creating sworn statements that could later constrain product design or data-access policies.

Continued expansion of these networks without mandatory multi-factor authentication or warrant requirements aligns with law-enforcement demand for rapid query access. Countervailing pressure from state attorneys general and civil-liberties litigation has produced isolated contract cancellations but no uniform national standard. Absent new legislation tying federal funding to authentication and audit rules, the commercial model of selling perpetual camera access remains intact.

Next steps center on whether the subcommittee issues subpoenas or incorporates authentication mandates into pending crime-bill language before the end of the current Congress.