POLK COUNTY, Fla. — Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd is defending Flock cameras as a vital crime-fighting tool, arguing the automated license plate readers are less intrusive than body-worn cameras.
The technology has become the center of a growing debate over privacy and public safety.
WATCH BELOW: Sheriff Judd defends Flock cameras; activists push for deputy body cameras
Flock cameras capture images of vehicles, including license plates and vehicle characteristics. The system can alert law enforcement when a vehicle matches one connected to an investigation.
Judd says the cameras do not invade people's private space because they operate from public rights of way.
"Contrary to all of the rhetoric, it does not invade personal private space," Judd said. "It sits on the public right-of-way and takes pictures of tags, cars and car colors, not individuals."
Judd has long cited privacy concerns as a reason Polk County deputies do not wear body cameras.
"That's why my deputies don't wear body cameras because they invade your personal privacy," Judd said. "License plate readers do not. They don't look at your face. They don't come into your home."
But community activist Rev. Clayton Cowart, of the Poor & Minority Justice Association, says the sheriff's position is inconsistent.
"You're telling me as a citizen that our officers can't wear them? So we'll have cameras everywhere else, but not on the officers. That's a problem," Cowart said.
Cowart says he supports the use of Flock cameras but wants the Polk County Sheriff's Office to require deputies to wear body cameras.
He says advocates have been pushing the sheriff's office to adopt body cameras for a decade, arguing they would provide greater accountability and help protect both the public and law enforcement.
"We do have officers who don't necessarily behave right," Cowart said. "Give us an opportunity to be able to see, just like you want to watch for us."
Privacy advocates have also raised concerns about the security of Flock's database and whether there are enough safeguards to prevent officers from misusing the technology.
"They're using it for their own personal use. I don't think that's OK. People are hacking into things. They can hack into them," said Tia Bambere.
Judd says he supports establishing appropriate guardrails for Flock cameras and is willing to work with lawmakers to strengthen them.
But he maintains those safeguards should not come at the expense of what he considers an important public-safety tool.
The debate comes as Florida moves to restrict the use of Flock cameras on state roads.
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