Within the cities of Tucson, South Tucson, Marana, and Oro Valley there is an estimated 300 AI-enhanced Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) currently installed that record and track your everyday movements targeting and misidentifying members of our communities. And the number of ALPRs in Pima County increases every month unbeknownst to the public. 

Number of surveillance installations including ALPRs, speed cameras, and gunshot detectors from openstreetmap:

2018: 1
2020: 1
2021: 2
2022: 6
2024: 2
2025: 227
2026: 60⁩

ALPRs collect extensive amounts personal data that includes your license plate, vehicle information, decals, stickers, dings and scratches. They are also capable to detect faces, identify individuals by gait, follow movements, detect patterns, and record audio of the surrounding area. They are built to track your everyday movements and upload it to a national database, such as Flock Safety. AI cameras, software and database are marketed to local police, federal agencies, sheriff departments, and corporations (including Lowe's, Home Depot, and Simon Properties) as a way to promote safety and prevent crime. 

Currently, there are many surveillance companies like Flock that have active contracts and ALPRs installed throughout Pima County. Motorola has an active contract with TPD in Tucson, along with Marana and Oro Valley. Axon has an active contract with Pima County‘s sheriff department. South Tucson just signed onto a 2-year contract with Flock, up for reconsideration in June 2026. ALPR companies boast AI-surveillance in the name of “safety” and crime prevention, but it is in fact data grift and does not prevent crime in real time.

If ALPRs were installed to deter crime, these surveillance cameras would be accompanied by signage “You are being recorded” used as a deterrent in most cases.

To date, no evidence exists to back up the claim that ALPRs prevent crime, provide real-time responses to threats, or protect people in immediate danger. 

In 2024, the University of Arizona spent $1,052,350 on a contract with Flock Safety that installed 62 AI-enhanced ALPRs without proper permits on city streets in and around campus. Public records show Flock did not take out permits to install 61 of the ALPRs and they did this without a business license.

In August 2025, Deflock Tucson protested at the University of Arizona regarding the 62 ALPR cameras on campus. At the same time, someone was stabbed with a knife outside the main library. These ALPRs did not prevent that, warn of the threat, or provide any safety. The ALPR cameras on campus did not aid in apprehending the attacker.

ALPR cameras and surveillance software treats everyone as a potential suspect. Capturing and storing data from ALL vehicles, not just those driven by people with warrants or suspected of crimes. 

In fact, ALPRs and mass surveillance companies are incentivized to criminalize the general population in order to sell more ALPR contracts, raking in millions of tax-payer money.

Flock is not the only ALPR company. There are many others that include Motorola/Vigilant, Genetec, Leonardo/ELSAG, Neology, Axon, etc. Surveillance companies that utilize AI-powered cameras and AI-surveillance software also need extraordinary amounts of data storage which directly links to building data centers in our region. 

In addition to the harvesting of your personal data, AI-surveillance software has proven to misidentify Black, Brown, and Immigrant communities often targeting innocent people. 

In North Carolina, Jacqueline McNeil was going home to get ready for her goddaughter’s funeral when she saw the lights flashing behind her, and was then surrounded by police cruisers. The next thing she knew, she was in handcuffs, accused of participating in a drive-by shooting. The ALPRs had confused her vehicle with that of the alleged perpetrator.

All data collected by ALPRs is stored for an indefinite amount of time and made available to more than 6000+ end users who are self-regulated and remain unchecked for database access abuses.

A Kechi Kansas Police Lieutenant used his department’s access to the Flock Safety database to stalk his estranged wife.

In 2024-25, ICE illegally accessed the Flock Safety database for more than 4,000+ searches. 

Currently, in Arizona there are no consumer protections, biometric or privacy rights laws to circumvent misuse by bad actors. These mass surveillance contracts are a gross violation of Fourth Amendment rights, and the object of numerous ongoing lawsuits. They are a threat to your privacy, fail to create safety, and encourage data grift contributing to a growing surveillance state.

If we do not act now to end Pima county's use of mass surveillance contracts these systems will continue to spread. 

Sign the petition. Say No! To normalizing mass surveillance in Pima County.