Wichita sued over 200 license plate reader cameras

1 August 2026.

A lawsuit filed in Sedgwick County District Court on August 1, 2026, challenges the constitutionality of Wichita's automated license plate reader program under the Kansas Constitution. Machinist Mason Grimmett serves as plaintiff, represented by Kansas Justice Institute litigation director Sam MacRoberts. The city deployed Flock Safety cameras beginning in 2020 and now operates nearly 200 units that photograph approximately 900,000 vehicles monthly.

The cameras capture license plate images along with vehicle details such as make, model, bumper stickers, and visible damage. Flock's artificial intelligence analyzes these photographs and stores them in a searchable cloud database accessible to law enforcement agencies beyond Wichita Police. The lawsuit argues this warrantless surveillance program violates the state constitution by subjecting all motorists to persistent tracking and databasing without individualized suspicion or judicial authorization.

Grimmett raised his concerns during a June Wichita City Council meeting, requesting public records showing which agencies accessed Flock data from January 2024 to June 2026. Wichita Police responded by directing residents to a transparency portal on their website. The department maintains that the technology helps solve crimes by capturing objective evidence. The city has declined to comment on the pending litigation.

Residents in your area can check whether their local police department uses license plate readers and request public records documenting access to any database.

Read the original reporting: KCUR – Kansas City news and NPR.