OVIEDO, Fla. – Oviedo City Council took a fresh look at the city’s Flock camera program Monday night as police defended the technology and a crowd called for its removal.
Council approved a five-year lease for eight automatic license-plate readers in September 2025. Police said all eight cameras were installed by February at entrances and exits to the city.
The cameras take still pictures of license plates and collect details including a car’s description. Oviedo police said that information is searchable for 30 days before it is automatically deleted. Information downloaded as evidence in a criminal case may be retained longer.
Nine of the 10 people who addressed council opposed the cameras.
“That’s how surveillance expands - not one giant leap, but one reasonable justification at a time,” Oviedo community member Lucas Kangas said. “And once it exists, there’s no taking it back.”
Opponents raised concerns about police officers elsewhere using license-plate databases to stalk partners and former partners, false alerts leading to dangerous encounters and the ability to reconstruct someone’s movements.
One speaker supported keeping the cameras.
“I want the security,” Charles Suber said.
Oviedo police said users must complete training before receiving access. Each user has an individual account and must enter a case number and select a reason before conducting a search.
The department’s policy requires quarterly audits, but police said a crime analyst currently conducts them weekly.
Police disclosed that one audit found an officer entering an incomplete case number. The officer was questioned, provided the correct case number, and was reminded to enter the complete number. Police said no additional issues have been found involving that user.
The department also acknowledged that the system can produce false hits.
“Does the system sometimes spit out misinformation about a tag that it sees? Yes, it does,” an Oviedo deputy police chief told council.
Police said officers cannot take action based solely on Flock information. They must visually confirm the license plate and independently verify the information first.
Council members also questioned whether Oviedo’s safeguards apply when outside law enforcement agencies search information collected by the city’s cameras.
Police acknowledged those outside users do not currently have to follow all of Oviedo’s restrictions. The department said Flock expects to release new controls within days that would allow the city to require outside users to provide a case number and limit searches to qualifying criminal investigations.
Police credited license-plate reader information with helping Oviedo officers investigate a domestic violence case involving a pregnant victim, identify burglary suspects and locate a missing juvenile in Titusville. The department also cited regional cases involving homicide suspects and kidnapped children.
No vote on the cameras was scheduled Monday night. The eight Flock cameras remain active.