Mohave County attorney says Sheriff’s Flock cameras are constitutional
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23 August 2026. [AI first draft. Verify every fact against the source before publishing.]
Mohave County Attorney Matt Smith presented a legal assessment to the Board of Supervisors regarding the Sheriff's Office use of Flock traffic cameras after members of the public raised constitutional concerns with at least one supervisor. Smith concluded that the current deployment of the license plate reader system complies with existing constitutional protections. However, Smith acknowledged that broader tracking capabilities or future facial-recognition functions could present different legal questions not addressed in his current assessment.
The legal review came in response to public questions about the cameras and their constitutionality that had been raised during board proceedings. Smith's analysis focused on the existing use of the Flock system as currently operated by the Sheriff's Office rather than hypothetical expansions of the technology.
The assessment is significant for residents seeking to understand what surveillance tools their county operates and under what legal framework. Smith's acknowledgment that broader capabilities could raise different constitutional questions suggests that any expansion of the system or addition of facial-recognition features would warrant separate legal review. Mohave County residents can request copies of Smith's formal legal assessment from the county attorney's office or the Board of Supervisors to review the specific constitutional protections cited. Residents in other Arizona counties or states can check their county attorney's position on ALPR systems by requesting similar legal opinions from their own counties' legal counsel.
Read the original reporting: Havasu News.