Utah governor ‘deeply troubled’ by Flock camera concerns, orders privacy review

SALT LAKE CITY — Amid heightened scrutiny on cameras that automatically track license plates, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox has ordered two state entities to conduct a review and ensure that those cameras are not being misused.

During his monthly news conference on Thursday, Cox said he was “deeply troubled” by concerns raised by Utah Civic Compact about the frequency with which 10 such cameras owned by Weber County were accessed over several years.

 

The group released public information from the Weber County Sheriff’s Office that showed that since early 2022, those cameras were searched more than 5 million times, mostly by out-of-state law enforcement agencies.

Often called Flock cameras, hundreds of them line the Wasatch Front and other parts of the state. Police tout them as effective in finding suspect vehicles and investigating crimes. But opponents say they lead to government surveillance and an invasion of privacy. Many of the automatic license plate reader cameras are owned by a company called Flock Safety.

In response to concerns, Cox said he has ordered the Utah Privacy Governing Board and the Utah Privacy Commission to take a closer look.

“I’ve asked them to do a review of all of our rules and regulations around these cameras,” the governor said, “especially how they’re being used with local agencies to make sure that they are not being abused.”

Cox added that he wants the public to understand how and when those cameras are used and, if abuse takes place, that people are held accountable.

“We’re not going to allow that here,” he said.

New legislation needed?

Last week, in releasing the public information about the Weber County cameras, Utah Civic Compact leaders urged state lawmakers to tighten Utah code to ensure that out-of-state agencies follow the rules Utah has set for accessing and using data from those cameras.

Cox insisted Utah law already has guardrails in place around the use of those cameras, but he questioned whether it was being followed.

“If there are some gaps, then yes, I would absolutely support legislation,” Cox said, “but I think the legislation we have in place should allow us to protect people’s privacy and make sure they’re not being abused.”

Utah lawmakers considered a bill in 2025 that would have further regulated automatic license plate readers, but it failed to pass before the session ended. Another related bill in 2026 did not receive a hearing.

Other topics

It was Cox’s first PBS Utah news conference this summer and the first since several Republican incumbents in the state lost their seats amid a growing anti-incumbency movement in the June primary elections.

Cox was also recently underwater with voters in an approval poll by Deseret News and the Hinckley Institute of Politics this week. That poll, which shows his approval rating at 41% compared to 51% in January, marks the first time the governor has had a negative approval rating, but continues a recent downward trend.

During the news conference, the governor touched on several other topics, including regulating data centers in Utah, the state’s ongoing drought and water supply issues, how leaders are working to prevent large wildfires, and gas and housing prices.

Cox also revealed he became a grandfather this week for the first time.

You can watch the governor’s full news conference on the KSL YouTube page.