CLAY COUNTY – The Clay County Sheriff’s Office said on Monday that in response to the memo issued by the Florida Department of Transportation, all License Plate Readers will be removed from Clay County roadways.

The decision comes following the FDOT memo and continuing discussions surrounding the use of License Plate Readers, also known as Flock cameras, related technological advancements and their use by law enforcement.

Since 2018, License Plate Readers have been proven to be a valuable crime-fighting tool for CCSO. In the past year alone, License Plate Readers have helped our agency find a missing 76-year-old woman from South Carolina, whose vehicle was located in Middleburg by an ALPR; identify and locate a homicide suspect in a deadly stabbing; and safely find a 10-year-old who was taken in a child custody interference case. In that case, the vehicle was located and stopped near the Florida-Alabama state line, leading to three arrests, among many other success stories.

“As always, our commitment to fostering a safe community where families and businesses can thrive remains our top priority,” Sheriff Michelle Cook said. “This decision does not hinder, nor sway, our efforts to prevent and fight crime, solve cases, hold offenders accountable and maintain public trust.”

The sheriff’s office will continue to adhere to state guidelines and looks forward to continuing conversations regarding technology in law enforcement.

FDOT said it has revoked active permits for automated license plate readers (ALPRs) on state highway right-of-ways, nearly a week after Gov. Ron DeSantis said the use of ALPRs are “out of control.”

ALPRs are a network of security cameras that log information about passing vehicles to a database that can be easily searched.