By Barbara Preston for The Montgomery News | August 7, 2026
Montgomery Township Police gave a presentation at the August 6 Township Committee meeting on the township's use of automated license plate reader (ALPR) technology, which consists of a network of seven surveillance cameras designed to track vehicles associated with criminal investigations, missing persons, arrest warrants, and more.
Municipal leaders and law enforcement are navigating a delicate balance between public safety objectives and community concerns regarding privacy and government overreach.
The township’s relationship with Flock Safety Inc., the provider of the camera systems, began in December 2022 with a memorandum of understanding for software access. Since then, the program has grown to include six fixed cameras and one mobile, battery-operated unit that can be repositioned based on investigative needs.
The systems are not intended for traffic enforcement, such as monitoring speed or red-light violations, which are not permitted under New Jersey law. Instead, the cameras function as an "automated" reading system: they scan license plates as vehicles pass and compare them in real-time against law enforcement "hot lists"—databases containing information on stolen vehicles, wanted suspects, missing persons, and vehicles linked to Amber or Silver Alerts, according to Montgomery Police Lt. Andrew Perry.
Police officials have explicitly addressed public rumors regarding the system's capabilities, clarifying that the cameras do not employ facial recognition software, nor do they capture Bluetooth or cell phone data from passing drivers, he said.
Two members of the public questioned the use of the cameras.
Kathy Lynch of Montgomery, an active local environmental advocate and member of the township environmental commission, attended the meeting to urge the township to make better use of solar energy technology on municipal-owned land. Upon hearing the police presentation on the Flock camera, she expressed concerns.
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"I'm speaking as a resident now.," she said. "Hearing from our police department, I am 0% concerned about their use of it [the Flock cameras], and I understand the benefits. I think price [$25,000 a year] is minimal, compared to other costs for technology. It's not them, it's not our township that I'm worried about.
"I just .... started to look around a little bit and I'm just gonna bring this too brief paragraph. ALPR systems create durable location record about [innocent] people who are not suspected of anything.
"Every [license plate] can become part of a searchable trail. And once that data is collected, the risks expand through misuse, unauthorized sharing, vendor practices, and simple errors. This has nothing to do with our police department's use of the data.
"The misuse problem is amplified by how widely the data can spread once it enters the system. Now, in California, the town of Mountain View disabled their Flock cameras after discovering that Flock had shared license plate data within 100s of agencies, including federal entities, without permission, and that some of the features had been activated without the city's intent or knowledge.
"That kind of unauthorized sharing turns of local surveillance tool into a much broader data exchange network with far weaker public visibility than most residents could expect. So again, it's not a local issue. I think it's like things with AI, you know, we just don't have control over it. So I think being very careful about how it's used [is warranted]."
She noted that the township already has seven cameras and asked if there were plans to get more. Township Committee said they will look into it.
The operation is subject to strict constraints, governed by directives from the New Jersey Attorney General’s office, Police Chief Silvio Bet said. Department policy dictates that access to the system is limited to authorized law enforcement personnel, and every search must be tied to a valid case number and justifiable reason.
For the township, the $25,000 annual lease—which covers equipment, maintenance, and software—is presented as a critical investment in public safety, Bet said, pointing to successful investigations in 2025 and 2026, including the recovery of stolen vehicles, the identification of suspects in mail theft cases, and the safe return of missing persons.
Montgomery Township Attorney Wendy Rubinstein Quiroga added, "There are checks and balances, which police leadership emphasized during their presentation. "This is not just a 'Big Brother is watching' situation.'"
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The department maintains internal oversight, requiring officers to undergo specific training and perform routine audits of search logs, which are periodically reported to the State Police. Additionally, data is not sold or shared with private third parties; sharing is strictly limited to other law enforcement agencies in New Jersey, such as county prosecutors and the State Police.
However, the program has prompted questions from community members about the potential for misuse, the scope of data retention, and the implications of persistent surveillance. Police officials have responded by highlighting their lack of policy violations to date and emphasizing the system's utility as a force multiplier that allows officers to solve complex crimes more efficiently than traditional methods.
