Gov. Spencer Cox asked the Utah Privacy Governing Board to review statewide rules on Flock license plate reader cameras. Cox said at his monthly news conference, covered by the Tribune on Wednesday, Aug. 26, that he is "deeply troubled" by reports of officers accessing the devices for personal reasons.

The announcement comes weeks after Millcreek removed an unclaimed Flock camera from city property at approximately 3220 South Highland Drive. As we reported Aug. 25, the city dropped its inquiry into who installed the device after no one came forward to claim it.

Cox stopped short of calling for cameras to be removed. He directed the Privacy Governing Board to examine how the technology is regulated across Utah.

"There's been stories now coming from agencies across the United States where law enforcement individuals have accessed those cameras for personal reasons, for reasons outside of the law enforcement chain," Cox said, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. "I think Americans should be deeply concerned about that."

He added: "I don't think we should say, 'Hey, just trust us.' I don't think that that should be the response at all."

Cox also posted on X on Monday, Aug. 24, that privacy "must be our top priority" regarding Flock cameras, according to Deseret News reporting.

What triggered the review

Cox's referral followed a Utah Civic Compact investigation that found 10 Flock cameras in Weber County were searched 5,171,087 times by 3,343 law enforcement agencies in 45 states between February 2022 and July 2026. Weber County's own deputies ran just 13,100 of those searches. That means 96.6% came from outside Utah.

Texas agencies accounted for 43% of all search activity. Houston Police Department alone was responsible for 36.8% of searches on cameras located 1,400 miles away.

Millcreek's connection

Millcreek's mystery camera became a statewide talking point after Mayor Cheri Jackson confirmed in August that neither the Unified Police Department (UPD) nor city departments knew who installed it. The camera was not operating when removed.

"So we took the camera down and nobody's come looking for it," Jackson told ABC4 on Aug. 24, describing the removal.

Jackson said UPD had previously held a Flock contract that was terminated years earlier. Flock was supposed to retrieve its cameras when the contract ended.

Broader scrutiny

The same week, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) launched a federal investigation into Flock Safety's data collection and retention practices on Wednesday, Aug. 26, according to Axios.

Flock recently reduced its default data retention from 30 days to seven days, disabled data sharing by default, and added audit logs for searches. The ACLU called those changes "largely hollow security promises," according to Deseret News.

Utah law already restricts government use of license plate readers to four purposes: active criminal investigations, apprehending people with outstanding warrants, locating missing or endangered persons, and locating stolen vehicles. The state caps data retention at nine months.

No timeline has been announced for when the Utah Privacy Governing Board will complete its review.