PASSAGE ONE OF THE DAY: "In York, Maine, residents passed a citizen-led initiative immediately banning automated license plate readers in the town of 14,000 and requiring voter approval before any future deployment of surveillance technology."
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PASSAGE TWO OF THE DAY; "In League City, Texas, a Houston-area community of nearly 120,000 residents, voters rejected a nonbinding measure supporting the police department’s use of 84 automated license plate readers. Republican Mayor Nick Long, who won reelection with more than 66% of the vote, pledged to honor the referendum by covering or disabling the cameras within 72 hours of the election’s certification.'
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POST: 'Texas, ME Voters Push Back Against Flock Surveillance Cameras', published by Criminal Justice Journalists, on November 5, 2026.
GIST; Voters in several U.S. communities approved measures restricting or rejecting automated license plate readers, including cameras manufactured by Flock Safety, amid growing concerns about government surveillance and privacy, reports Reason.
In York, Maine, residents passed a citizen-led initiative immediately banning automated license plate readers in the town of 14,000 and requiring voter approval before any future deployment of surveillance technology.
York’s four Flock cameras had already been covered in plastic since September amid concerns about data security and reports of law enforcement officers misusing similar systems to track acquaintances or former romantic partners.
The Institute for Justice documented 300 incidents of alleged misuse or abuse of automated license plate readers by law enforcement nationwide.
The election results reflect growing public resistance to surveillance systems that collect and store vehicle location information, often without drivers’ knowledge or individualized suspicion.
In League City, Texas, a Houston-area community of nearly 120,000 residents, voters rejected a nonbinding measure supporting the police department’s use of 84 automated license plate readers.
In League City, Texas, a Houston-area community of nearly 120,000 residents, voters rejected a nonbinding measure supporting the police department’s use of 84 automated license plate readers.
Republican Mayor Nick Long, who won reelection with more than 66% of the vote, pledged to honor the referendum by covering or disabling the cameras within 72 hours of the election’s certification.
The city spends $175,000 annually on its contract with Flock Safety, raising questions about the agreement’s future.
Voters in Pflugerville, Texas, approved Proposition B, requiring the city council to establish safeguards governing the collection, retention, use and oversight of surveillance data, facial recognition and related technologies.
The measure followed the council’s unanimous approval of new surveillance oversight policies, including citizen review of proposed technologies.
Although law enforcement officials argue that automated license plate readers help solve crimes and locate suspects, the election results demonstrate growing bipartisan demands for transparency, stronger privacy protections and greater public control over surveillance practices."
The entire post can be read at:
https://crimjj.wordpress.com/2026/11/05/tx-me-voters-push-back-against-flock-surveillance-cameras/
https://crimjj.wordpress.com/2026/11/05/tx-me-voters-push-back-against-flock-surveillance-cameras/
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue/resource. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog. FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): "Whenever there is a wrongful conviction, it exposes errors in our criminal legal system, and we hope that this case — and lessons from it — can prevent future injustices."Lawyer Radha Natarajan: Executive Director: New England Innocence Project; FINAL, FINAL WORD: "Since its inception, the Innocence Project has pushed the criminal legal system to confront and correct the laws and policies that cause and contribute to wrongful convictions. They never shied away from the hard cases — the ones involving eyewitness identifications, confessions, and bite marks. Instead, in the course of presenting scientific evidence of innocence, they've exposed the unreliability of evidence that was, for centuries, deemed untouchable." So true;
