08/31/2026
𝐀 𝐌𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐟 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐃. 𝐒𝐜𝐨𝐭𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐋𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬
On Monday, August 31, 2026, the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office received a written memorandum from FDOT Chief Operating Officer and Assistant Secretary Will Watts regarding the revocation of general use permits for automated license plate readers (ALPRs) located within the right-of-way of roads on the State Highway System.
Upon receiving this directive, I immediately instructed the commander of our Innovative Policing Division to notify both Flock and Axon that all ALPR devices located within the right-of-way of state roadways or highways must be removed within 30 days so that the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office remains fully compliant with the direction we received from FDOT.
Our agency identified 27 ALPR devices that meet the criteria for removal.
Over the past several months, I have closely followed the ongoing national conversation surrounding the use of automated license plate readers by law enforcement. I have also listened to the concerns expressed by members of our own community regarding privacy, the collection of data, how long information is retained, who has access to it, and how that information may ultimately be used.
I believe those concerns deserve to be heard.
People in the United States live under a Constitution that protects individual liberty and privacy. As law-abiding citizens, we should never lose sight of the fact that people simply want to go about their daily lives without feeling as though their movements are being unnecessarily monitored or that information about them is being retained or accessed for purposes unrelated to legitimate public safety.
At the same time, we cannot ignore the tremendous public-safety value this technology can provide when it is used appropriately, responsibly, and within clearly defined legal and policy boundaries.
Has the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office used ALPR technology to assist in solving homicides, violent attacks, armed robberies, burglaries, missing-person cases, and other serious crimes?
Absolutely!
We have cases and data demonstrating how this technology has helped investigators develop leads, identify vehicles associated with criminal activity, locate wanted individuals, and in some circumstances, help bring justice to victims and their families.
But there is another important side of this conversation.
The vast majority of vehicles captured by ALPR technology belong to ordinary people who are simply going to work, taking their children to school, visiting family, going to the grocery store, or otherwise living their lives. Those people are not suspects, and they should not be treated as such.
That is why the conversation cannot simply be about whether law enforcement should have technology.
It must also be about how that technology is used, what information is collected, how long it is retained, who can access it, what constitutes a legitimate search, how those searches are documented, and how we ensure the system cannot be misused.
At the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office, we have implemented strict policies governing the use of ALPR technology, including defined search requirements and auditing procedures designed to ensure accountability. Technology should never replace good police work, constitutional protections, or sound judgment.
The goal moving forward should be conversation, not division.
How do we preserve the ability to use technology that can help save lives, locate missing children and vulnerable adults, identify dangerous criminals, and bring justice to victims, while simultaneously protecting the privacy and constitutional freedoms of the very people we have sworn to serve?
I believe there is common ground to be found.
Just as indiscriminately capturing and retaining information about every passing vehicle for extended periods of time may understandably make members of our community uncomfortable, destroying or attempting to completely eliminate technology that has legitimate and demonstrated public-safety benefits is not necessarily the answer either.
There has to be a responsible middle ground.
The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office will comply with FDOT’s directive regarding the placement of ALPRs within state highway rights-of-way. At the same time, we will continue working to understand what options remain available to us so that we can maintain effective investigative capabilities while respecting the concerns of our community and complying with all applicable laws, regulations, and directives.
I believe the best way forward is for law enforcement, our elected officials, technology providers, and most importantly, the people we serve to come together and ask difficult questions.
How do we protect privacy?
How do we ensure accountability?
How do we prevent misuse?
And how do we preserve the tools that can help us bring a missing loved one home or deliver justice to a family after a violent crime?
There is no perfect solution, but I believe that if we are willing to listen to one another, ask the right questions, establish meaningful safeguards, and work together, we can find common ground.
Our responsibility is not simply to keep our community safe. It is to do so while protecting the freedoms and constitutional rights that make our community and our country worth protecting in the first place.
Sheriff Chad D. Scott
Alachua County Sheriff’s Office