Coverage spread: 2 sources — 2 unrated
Lean ratings via AllSides / Media Bias-Fact-Check. How this works.
Where they agree
- A new NextGen Polling survey of over 1,600 Arizona voters found strong public unease about license plate reader cameras.
- 82% of respondents worried about potential misuse of camera data, and a similar share wants mandatory independent audits and public reporting.
- The polling comes alongside real cases of officer misuse, including resignations tied to improper use of the Flock system.
- Despite the distrust, roughly half of respondents still credit the cameras with helping solve crimes like stolen vehicles and hit-and-runs.
Where they differ
- AZFamily’s poll story focuses on the statewide survey numbers and quotes pollster Troy Holderby on what the results mean for public trust in law enforcement.
- AZFamily’s companion investigative piece digs into the specific Apache Junction case, detailing officer Joshua McDaniel’s misuse of the system to track his wife and the discipline handed to two dispatchers.
- 12 News Phoenix offers only a brief overview mentioning the poll’s finding on data misuse concerns and noting Flock Safety’s broader challenges across Arizona cities, without the detailed case specifics AZFamily provides.
- AZFamily includes outside perspective from law enforcement standards expert Paul Cappitelli, who cautions against departments overreacting to the misuse scandal, a viewpoint not present in the other coverage.
A new statewide poll finds that most Arizona voters oppose the use of automatic license plate reader (ALPR) cameras like those made by Flock Safety in their communities, with the vast majority worried the data could be misused. The poll comes as internal affairs records reveal an Apache Junction police officer used the camera system to track down his estranged wife, one of several Valley cases of officers misusing the technology that led to resignations and disciplinary action.
What did the poll find?
NextGen Polling released the survey on Thursday, based on responses from more than 1,600 registered Arizona voters gathered over a three-day period. It found 80% of respondents were at least somewhat familiar with Flock Safety cameras, and 51% believe the cameras genuinely help police solve crimes such as stolen vehicles and hit-and-run cases. Despite that, 63% said they oppose ALPR use by law enforcement in their own community, and 82% said they were concerned about potential misuse of the data, compared with just 16% who were not concerned. The same share, 82%, said they would support requiring police agencies to undergo independent audits and publicly report on how license plate data is used.
Troy Holderby, deputy political director at NextGen Polling, said the results show people believe Flock cameras can help law enforcement close cases and pursue violent offenders, but that trust in how the tool is actually used remains low. He described the poll as a gauge of how much confidence residents currently place in police to handle the technology responsibly.
What happened in the Apache Junction case?
Internal affairs records obtained by Arizona’s Family Investigates detail how former Apache Junction officer Joshua McDaniel misused the Flock system on April 19 to locate his wife during a period of marital trouble. McDaniel first searched for her license plate on his own computer, tracing her to Casa Grande, then asked Casa Grande police to perform a welfare check. He also enlisted two department telecommunications officers to run additional searches on the system.
Interview records describe McDaniel as “not in a good mental state” at the time, telling colleagues he was anxious because he could not locate his children and that his wife had turned off her phone’s location services and stopped responding to messages. McDaniel later told investigators he “exercised poor judgment” and resigned from the department. He and his wife have since divorced.
The two dispatchers who helped him were also disciplined. One, who reported the misuse the day after it happened and said she wanted to de-escalate a situation in which McDaniel appeared “heightened, stressed and worried,” received a 30-hour suspension. The other, who searched the system four times and told investigators she regretted her actions, received a 40-hour suspension. Both remain employed by the department.
Apache Junction Police Chief Mike Pooley addressed the case publicly, saying the department placed McDaniel on administrative leave immediately and opened an internal investigation. Paul Cappitelli, a former head of police standards and training in California with four decades in law enforcement, praised Pooley for holding a press conference and being upfront about the incident, calling it “a wakeup call for the profession” on the need for better auditing of Flock systems. He also cautioned against departments overreacting by abandoning the technology altogether, saying agencies should weigh whether misuse is likely to happen again before making broader policy changes.
How widespread is the misuse problem?
According to AZFamily’s reporting, the Apache Junction case is one of four Valley police departments caught up in audits revealing inappropriate use of Flock cameras. In the two weeks before the poll’s release, a Chandler police officer and the Apache Junction officer both resigned over ALPR misuse, and at least two more officers from other departments are under investigation for similar conduct.
Why does this matter now?
Flock Safety cameras have spread rapidly across Arizona cities as a crime-fighting tool, but the string of misuse cases is testing public confidence just as the technology becomes more widespread. The poll suggests residents aren’t rejecting the concept of license plate cameras outright — many still see investigative value — but they want stronger guardrails, particularly independent audits and public reporting, before they’re comfortable with the cameras operating in their neighborhoods.
Sources
- AZFamily — Poll: Majority of people in Arizona oppose Flock cameras, concerned about misuse · Records detail Arizona officer’s misuse of Flock cameras to find wife
- 12 News Phoenix
Featured photo: Lightandtruth via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)