Artificial intelligence cameras operated by Flock Safety are scanning vehicle license plates at major retailers across Great Falls, prompting a state legislator to draft new restrictions on how law enforcement can access that private surveillance data.

The cameras are installed on property operated by Home Depot, Lowe’s, and Albertsons in the community. Flock, which operates in more than 5,000 communities across 49 states, performs more than 20 billion vehicle scans monthly and captures license plate information along with vehicle make, model, color, bumper stickers, and visible damage. The company deletes data automatically after 30 days by default, according to its standard practice.

Growing Scale of Private Surveillance

Montana currently has only two or three license plate reader cameras on public roads statewide, but private surveillance systems like those at retail locations now number around 10,000 cameras across the state, according to State Senator Daniel Zolnikov. The proliferation has caught his attention as technology advances and data collection expands.

Home Depot says it uses the cameras for theft detection and to protect customer and associate safety, and the retailer does not grant federal law enforcement access to the system. Nonetheless, the presence of these cameras raises questions about data access and privacy protections.

Flock’s Track Record and Concerns

Flock says it supported more than one million criminal investigations in 2025 and helped locate more than 10,000 missing people that year. The company’s technology has become widely adopted by law enforcement nationwide.

Privacy concerns have surfaced in other jurisdictions. In July 2026, the Los Angeles Police Department allowed its Flock contract to expire, citing civil liberties and privacy worries. Additionally, in 2025, Flock data was accessed for immigration enforcement queries in other states—a practice Flock later discontinued.

Jasmine Taylor, a privacy advocate, characterized Flock cameras as “a tremendous privacy concern,” noting that the concern crosses political lines. “And I think people are kind of, across the spectrum politically, have recognized the privacy concern that exists specifically with Flock due to the advancement of that technology,” she said.

Legislative Response

Zolnikov, a Republican, has already shaped Montana’s approach to surveillance technology. In 2017, he passed a state law that restricts how license plate reader data is retained and shared by law enforcement. “So, in 2017, I passed a license plate reader bill in the state of Montana that greatly restricts license plate readers – how they’re used, how the data is retained, who it could be shared with,” Zolnikov said.

Now he is drafting a bill that would require law enforcement to obtain a warrant before accessing private surveillance system license plate data. The measure would extend protections established in 2017 to cover data collected by private entities rather than government systems.

Montana’s state constitution explicitly guarantees a right to privacy, providing a legal foundation for such restrictions. The proposed legislation would align warrant requirements for private surveillance data with existing safeguards on public road cameras.

Looking Ahead

The bill remains in draft form ahead of the 2027 legislative session, when the Montana Legislature next convenes for its regular meeting. The proposal reflects growing tension between public safety benefits that Flock and similar systems provide and the privacy risks that their widespread adoption poses, particularly as artificial intelligence technology becomes more sophisticated.