The unauthorized license plate reader that Millcreek officials removed from city property on Tuesday, Aug. 11, is now being cited across Utah as a central example in a growing fight over who controls surveillance cameras and who gets to search them.

The Salt Lake Tribune on Tuesday, Aug. 18, named Millcreek's case alongside newly released data showing that Weber County's 10 Flock Safety cameras were searched more than 5.1 million times between February 2022 and July 2026. Nearly all of those searches, 96.6%, came from agencies outside Utah, according to public records the advocacy group Utah Civic Compact obtained from the Weber County Sheriff's Office. The Houston Police Department alone ran more than a third of the queries, KSL reported.

For Millcreek, the question is more immediate: who put the camera there, and did it capture residents' plate data before it was removed?

As we reported Aug. 12, City Council member Thom DeSirant confirmed the device was discovered near Millcreek Common on Tuesday, Aug. 11. Neither the city nor Unified Police holds a Flock contract. The camera is now in storage, and city officials are auditing every other Flock unit within city limits to determine whether those were legally placed.

No source has confirmed whether that audit has concluded or what it has found.

"Who's accessing the footage of the cameras?" Sarah Whitley, a Millcreek parent whose daughter plays near Millcreek Common, told KUTV on Aug. 12. "I don't think we have a clear idea of who that is."

The Institute for Justice has since added Millcreek to its national database of more than 153 documented ALPR abuse incidents, categorizing it under "Other Misuse."

Statewide push for regulation

Clark Dice, communications director for Utah Civic Compact, called the Weber County search data "striking" at a Capitol news conference on Thursday, Aug. 13. He urged lawmakers to ensure out-of-state agencies follow Utah's rules when accessing camera data.

State Sen. Stephanie Pitcher has raised concerns about data governance, according to Gadget Review's reporting on the Millcreek case: who collects plate information, how long it sits on servers and who can run searches against it. A 2025 bill to tighten ALPR regulations passed the Utah House 64-2 but died in the Senate. A related 2026 bill received no hearing.

The Utah State Privacy Commission is conducting a formal study on law enforcement ALPR use and is expected to release policy recommendations by the end of September.

Other jurisdictions acting now

Davis County commissioners approved a memorandum of understanding with the Utah Department of Public Safety on ALPR use in a 2-1 vote on Wednesday, Aug. 12, KSL reported. Salt Lake City is considering a draft ordinance introduced in July that would require officers to tie searches to active case numbers, ban facial recognition integration and mandate quarterly audits.

Flock Safety announced Aug. 13 that it will shorten its default data retention from 30 days to seven and require all law enforcement customers to use an auditing tool by Jan. 1, 2027.

What's next for Millcreek

Under current Utah law, government entities may retain captured plate data for up to nine months unless it is preserved for an active investigation. Millcreek has not announced whether it plans to adopt a formal camera policy or ordinance of its own. The city's audit of existing Flock cameras remains ongoing, and no timeline for its completion has been made public.