SCOTT COUNTY, Ky. (LEX News) — Flock cameras have become a topic of conversation in Scott County — and many people want to know what they are, what they record, and whether they're recording everyone who drives past them.
Tom Ramsey, Chief Visionary Officer at CK Tactical Security, has nearly three decades of experience in the security industry. He said the cameras are designed with a specific purpose in mind, not blanket surveillance.
"People are scared of what they don't understand, and I don't think people holistically understand what AI is yet and what it's being used for," Ramsey said.
Flock cameras capture images of vehicles and license plates but do not record or identify a driver's face. Ordinary vehicles are photographed when they pass a Flock camera, and the resulting vehicle record can include plate imagery, vehicle characteristics, time and camera location.
Law enforcement says the cameras are strictly used for investigative purposes. Kentucky’s enacted HB 58 restricts the use of automated license plate readers and generally provides that plate data may be kept longer than 90 days only when connected to a criminal or insurance investigation or an evidence-preservation notice. It also requires law-enforcement agencies to adopt and publish written automated license plate reader policies.
"Now if a certain law enforcement agency. FBI or local law enforcement has put something into the system that's looking for a specific vehicle or plate. Then it will notify when that vehicle or that plate comes by," Ramsey said.
There have been recent reports of documented misuse. According to a WHAS report, a federal drug-enforcement agent used shared Louisville credentials for immigration related searches in February and March 2025. Three Louisville police employees were disciplined in connection with the credential sharing. whas11.com
Flock cameras have been in Kentucky since 2022. 10 cameras were installed in Scott County in mid-2025.
Law enforcement is not required to share Flock camera locations, but you can view where they're located in your city on this website. deflock.org
Correction: An earlier version of this story inaccurately stated that Flock camera images are stored only when law enforcement is looking for a specific vehicle and that vehicles belonging to everyday drivers are not stored. Flock automated license plate readers capture images and associated information from passing vehicles. Those records are searchable for a limited retention period, whether or not the vehicle was already the subject of a search. A hotlist alert is a separate feature that notifies law enforcement when the system detects a vehicle associated with an investigation. Kentucky law generally limits retention to 90 days, with exceptions for certain investigations and evidence-preservation requirements. We have revised the story to clarify how the system works.
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