Vermont passed a law more than a decade ago to protect residents from warrantless license plate tracking. But a new investigation by VTDigger reveals that Vermont police found a way around it — and never told lawmakers.

Since 2023, Vermont law enforcement agencies conducted over 100 searches using a national network of license plate cameras made by the company Flock Safety. Because the cameras are located out of state, police argued that Vermont's 2013 law didn't apply. Instead, they accessed the data through a regional nonprofit intelligence hub called the New England State Police Information Network (NESPIN) — which operates outside of public oversight and shares not just plate data, but criminal histories, social media accounts, and home addresses with police.

The result: Vermonters can be tracked across state lines, without their knowledge, without a warrant, and without any public accountability.

Rep. Barbara Rachelson (D/P-Burlington), who helped write Vermont's original plate reader law, said she had no idea police were using NESPIN this way until a reporter contacted her. "This is concerning on so many fronts that I would want to see legislation to be explicit about these situations," she told VTDigger.

Vermont's plate reader law is set to expire in 2027. That gives the Legislature a narrow window to act. The law needs explicit language that closes the out-of-state loophole and brings NESPIN's activities under public oversight — before the clock runs out.

Sign this petition urging the Vermont Legislature and Governor Phil Scott to close the surveillance loophole now, before the law expires and this gray area becomes permanent.