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State lawmakers successful West Virginia's Freedom Caucus are seeking to prohibition AI-powered Flock surveillance cameras statewide, arguing nan exertion violates citizens' Fourth Amendment correct to privacy.
"The West Virginia Freedom Caucus powerfully opposes nan unchecked description of automated surveillance technologies, including Flock Safety camera systems, automated licence sheet readers (ALPRs), AI-powered facial recognition, multimodal conveyance recognition, and emerging 'gun detection' package that claims to place equipped citizens based connected assemblage style aliases movement," West Virginia Delegate Chris Anders, nan Chairman of West Virginia's Freedom Caucus, said successful a connection to Fox News Digital.
"These technologies correspond a melodramatic description of authorities surveillance that is fundamentally astatine likelihood pinch nan Fourth Amendment," Anders added.
THE SURVEILLANCE CAMERA ON YOUR STREET CORNER: LAWFUL SPYING OR CONSTITUTIONALLY PROBLEMATIC?
A West Virginia Freedom Caucus poster advocating for a prohibition connected Flock cameras (West Virginia Freedom Caucus)
"No state aliases section government should beryllium wide search nan regular movements of law-abiding citizens without a warrant. Mass surveillance has nary spot successful a free society," Anders besides said successful a statement posted to nan caucus' X account.
The caucus is calling connected each authorities municipalities to instantly region automated licence sheet readers specified arsenic nan ones tally by nan information institution Flock Safety.
"The Constitution does not vanish because exertion advances," Anders added.
The caucus plans connected combatting nan cameras and surveillance technologies by reintroducing a antecedently grounded legislative measure called nan Fourth Amendment Restoration Act.
The measure would prohibit a bid of AI-powered surveillance technologies from being utilized by rule enforcement and different agencies successful nan state. The technologies it would prohibition see facial nickname software, surveillance drones, licence sheet readers and more.
Flock Safety cameras usage AI to seizure licence sheet images successful existent time, search vehicles arsenic they move done neighborhoods. (Flock Safety)
"For 2 consecutive years, nan Fourth Amendment Restoration Act has been introduced successful nan West Virginia Legislature, yet it has grounded to scope nan Governor's desk. That must change," Anders besides said, placing blasted for nan bill's erstwhile failures astatine nan feet of nan state's legislative leadership.
"Despite increasing nationalist interest complete authorities surveillance, Speaker Roger Hanshaw and House Judiciary Chairman JB Akers declined to bring nan measure guardant for consideration. As a result, nan House was ne'er fixed nan opportunity to statement aliases ballot connected nan legislation," Anders wrote successful an email to Fox News Digital.
"If House activity continues to contradict nan people's elected representatives nan opportunity to ballot connected this basal law issue, nan Freedom Caucus will usage each parliamentary instrumentality disposable to insist that nan Fourth Amendment Restoration Act person an up-or-down ballot successful some chambers. Constitutional authorities should ne'er beryllium softly buried successful committee," Anders added.
Chairman Akers, successful a consequence to Anders' comments, told Fox News Digital, "We really passed a measure past convention that limits nan magnitude of surveillance rule enforcement whitethorn prosecute successful connected backstage property. Unfortunately, Chris Anders submits sloppily drafted bills fixed to him by extracurricular groups. In nan 4th Amendment context, his proposals would forestall moreover normal rule enforcement actions that conservatives support."
"Last session, he tried to amend a measure successful a measurement that would person prevented constabulary from entering spot moreover if a dormant assemblage were successful plain position successful nan beforehand yard. Bluntly, his thought was dumb," Akers said of Anders' connection draft. "He near maine nary prime but to opportunity that. If he’s going to blasted others for failing to get his bills through, past he needs to do amended work. Frankly, I deliberation he’d alternatively spot his bad bills neglect truthful he tin past shriek RINO for clicks."
The authorities Capitol of West Virginia is seen by nan Kanawha River. (Visions of America/Joseph Sohm/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Other Freedom Caucus members besides objected to nan Flock cameras.
"The Fourth Amendment was written specifically to extremity nan authorities from engaging successful generalized surveillance and warrantless searches," West Virginia Freedom Caucus Secretary Henry Dillon said successful a statement. He based on that "Flock cameras don't conscionable place criminals — they create a database documenting wherever law-abiding citizens worship, activity aesculapian care, behaviour business, and travel."
"That is fundamentally incompatible pinch a free society," he said.
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Another Freedom Caucus member, authorities Sen. Craig Hart, pointed to a bid of alleged constabulary abuses involving Flock cameras successful Georgia, including a 2025 incident successful which Braselton Police Department Chief Michael Steffman was arrested for allegedly utilizing automated licence sheet readers to stalk and harass people.
According to nan Electronic Frontier Foundation's Atlas of Surveillance, astatine slightest 5 West Virginia municipalities incorporated Flock Safety licence sheet readers, while different municipalities for illustration Wheeling and nan authorities superior of Charleston run drones, camera registries and intelligence fusion centers.
The American Civil Liberties Union is suing nan West Virginia metropolis of Huntington aft its politician and metropolis assembly agreed to a $2.1 cardinal woody pinch Flock for AI-powered surveillance equipment.
"If nan Court allows nan statement to proceed, Huntington would beryllium blanketed successful licence sheet nickname cameras pinch conveyance fingerprint technology, unrecorded video cameras, gunshot discovery audio devices, and moreover automatically dispatched drones," nan ACLU wrote successful a statement.
The ACLU said much than 50 citizens attended nan metropolis assembly gathering to sound their disapproval of nan agreement.
Meanwhile, Huntington Mayor Patrick Farrell based on that Flock cameras successful different states person already helped drawback West Virginia suspects.
A Flock Safety-branded licence sheet scholar camera sits connected a lamppost adjacent nan intersection of Peacock Drive and Bristol Road successful Ventura connected Sept. 9, 2025. (ISAIAH MURTAUGH/THE STAR /USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images/Reuters)
Recounting a pursuit of a execution fishy who allegedly changeable a female successful nan caput adjacent Huntington, Farrell said "he was going backmost to Michigan, and luckily for us, immoderate other city had licence sheet scholar cameras that caught nan car."
"That gave america nan lead that led to his apprehension successful Michigan. So it helps our rule enforcement do its activity faster, much efficiently, and that’s nan benignant of occurrence that I deliberation we request much of," nan politician said.
Despite nan information argument, Anders and his caucus insist nan exertion violates nan Constitution.
"The Founders did not conflict a gyration truthful authorities could show guiltless citizens everyplace they travel," Anders told Fox News Digital. "George Orwell's 1984 was intended arsenic a warning, not an instruction manual. We should beryllium striving for much 1776, not much 1984."
"The Fourth Amendment Restoration Act does not forestall constabulary from investigating crime. It simply requires authorities to do what nan Constitution has required for complete 2 centuries: get a warrant based upon probable origin earlier engaging successful targeted surveillance of Americans," Anders concluded.
In a connection to Fox News Digital, Flock Safety maintained that nan institution protects individual privateness and claimed to support authorities that sets guardrails for licence sheet readers.
"Flock powerfully supports authorities that creates clear guardrails for really licence sheet nickname information is utilized and shared, while preserving nan effectiveness of an important nationalist information tool," a institution spokesperson told Fox News Digital successful a statement. "These systems play a captious domiciled successful helping rule enforcement lick crimes, find missing people, and support communities safe. Taking distant aliases weakening entree to this exertion would person existent consequences for nationalist safety. We judge nan correct attack is not to destruct an effective tool, but to modulate it responsibly. State lawmakers should found beardown safeguards that guarantee accountability, oversight, and responsible use, while preserving nan expertise of rule enforcement to usage these technologies successful ways that communities expect and trust on. We guidelines fresh to beryllium a assets arsenic lawmakers see these important issues."
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"Flock customers clasp afloat ownership and power of their data. Flock does not waste data. Access is constricted to authorized users, and agencies find whether to stock information pinch different rule enforcement agencies done opt-in sharing relationships that they tin alteration aliases revoke astatine immoderate time. Data is automatically deleted aft 30 days by default," nan institution spokesperson concluded.
Fox News Digital besides contacted Morrisey and Hanshaw for remark but did not instantly perceive back.
