Private license‑plate networks as civic infrastructure

Companies like Flock Safety are building city‑scale networks of automated license‑plate readers that police use to solve crimes and recover stolen vehicles. That infrastructure functions like public safety hardware but is owned and operated by private firms, creating new accountability, data‑retention, and access questions that current law does not neatly resolve. — If private firms supply core surveillance infrastructure, municipalities and legislatures must decide who controls data, who gets access, and what safeguards citizens can expect — shifting governance from public institutions to vendors unless policy acts.