Tempe turns off its Flock license plate reader system, citing privacy concerns and risk for 'misuse'

Tempe joins a growing list of cities ending their relationships with Flock over concerns of privacy, misuse, and data sharing.

Bloomberg/Getty Images Tempe, Arizona, shut down its Flock cameras over privacy and misuse concerns.

While police found no misuse in Tempe, there have been cases of suspected misuse in nearby cities.

Tempe joins a growing list of cities ending their relationships with Flock, including Los Angeles.

More cities are walking away from collaborations with Flock.

Tempe, Arizona, said on Wednesday that it shut down its network of Flock Safety license plate readers and plans to terminate its contract with the surveillance company, citing privacy risks and cases of alleged misuse reported by other cities.

The city said that it would not replace the system with technology from another provider.

Tempe operated 33 Flock cameras, which police used to identify vehicles during investigations.

"These cameras have helped our police officers do their jobs, and we don't discount that," Mayor Corey Woods said in a public statement.

"But the risk of misuse is too great.

We have to be able to provide public safety in a way that maintains the trust of our community.

For Tempe, that means taking these cameras down." Tempe police said in a press release that monthly audits had uncovered no improper searches of the city's Flock system.

A nearby city, Apache Junction, had put an officer on administrative leave after the officer was accused of using the Flock system to track his wife.

According to the city's press release, the cameras may remain visible until Flock removes them, but they are no longer collecting license plate information.