Pinellas sheriff pushes back on license plate reader concerns

(The Center Square) – Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri says automated license plate readers have helped reduce crime by over 64% over the last ten years.

His comments come in the aftermath of the Florida Department of Transportation this week revoking general use permits for ALPRs like Flock.

Since then, there’s been a wave of counties and local municipalities announcing they were doing away with the technology despite the FDOT memorandum only applying to state roads.

Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters said they would fully comply with FDOT’s directive and also discontinue ALPR use throughout Duval County.

Lake County Commissioners voted to remove all Flock cameras and license plate readers.

Okaloosa County Sheriff Aden said they would also begin removing devices on county rights-of-way and formally notify Flock to work through contract timelines for equipment removal. He did not rule out using ALPR’s again in the future but said the department would “wait for clearer legal guidance on constitutionality before revisiting the program.”

Gualtieri said he believes there is misinformation around what ALPRs do.

“ALPR automates what officers have long done manually and will continue to do on the computers in their cars, and that is to check license plates against law enforcement databases. But ALPR does it with greater speed and accuracy to enhance public safety,” said Gualtieri during a press conference.

He added that ALPRs don’t videotape, run continuously or photograph and identify people and rather take only motion-activated photos of license plates and vehicles.

“We recognize the recent concerns being raised about ALPR. We are committed to working with policymakers and communities to ensure that this technology is used responsibly. We’re also committed to making sure ALPR is properly understood,” said Gualtieri.

He pointed to more than 64% reduction in crime he said Pinellas County has enjoyed over the last decade and said in one service area the number of stolen cars went from 529 in 2015 down to 230 in 2025.

“That’s a 56% reduction. We’ve been using ALPR all that time. This reduction in crime is not by accident. It’s by design and by using technology such as ALPR,” Gualtieri said.

FDOT’s memorandum stated the purpose was to preserve Floridians’ sovereignty and quality of life.

Gualtieri acknowledged there were “legitimate concerns” like officers who have improperly used ALPR databases. He said when those incidents happen, those officers are held accountable.

“The abuses get attention but compared to how many officers have ALPR access and how many inappropriately access the systems, the abuses are very minimal. We don’t need to throw the baby out with the bathwater because a few people did something stupid. We support ALPR regulation,” said Gualtieri.

This story originally appeared on thecentersquare.com.