Pinal County Won't Renew Flock Cameras: What Residents Can Still Find Out

October 4, 2026

Pinal County's Sheriff's Office is done with Flock. Sheriff Ross Teeple announced in August that he would not renew the county's Flock Safety contract, the Board of Supervisors voted a week later to start pushing the cameras off county infrastructure, and the contract was set to end Sept. 29.

For residents of unincorporated Pinal County, that raises practical questions. What happens to the data already collected? Who searched it? And which cameras are still running? Here's what was decided and what you can still request.

What happened

On Wednesday, Aug. 5, Teeple told the Board of Supervisors that his office would not renew its Flock contract, which was set to expire at the end of September. He cited Fourth Amendment concerns about the technology in the cameras, "whether we have access to it or not." FOX 10 reported that the office would begin decommissioning its camera network, and KTAR reported that Teeple pointed to capabilities he said went beyond plate reading, including AI-driven tracking of residents' movements, as well as complaints from citizens.

On Aug. 12, the Board of Supervisors voted 4–1 to give Flock 180 days' notice terminating its right-of-way agreement for equipment on county infrastructure, according to Pinal Post. Supervisor Stephen Miller voted no, citing concerns about unintended consequences. Under that timeline, the sheriff's operational contract ended Sept. 29, the right-of-way agreement ends around February 2027, and the county was to work out a physical removal schedule with Flock after Sept. 29.

On Sept. 23, Teeple took the issue to Washington, testifying at a U.S. Senate Judiciary hearing. His argument: if deputies need a warrant to put a physical tracker on a car, similar limits should apply to camera networks that can map where people drive. He asked Congress to set clear statutory boundaries.

The decision covers the Sheriff's Office only. KTAR reported roughly 200 Flock cameras in Pinal County, mostly in the cities of Maricopa and Casa Grande, and the Arizona Daily Star reported Casa Grande police alone operate 93. City contracts are separate and unaffected.

What these cameras collect

Flock cameras photograph passing vehicles and record the plate, time and location, along with features like make, color and vehicle type. The records go into a searchable database that, depending on sharing settings, officers at many other agencies can query. How long the data is kept is set by the contract and the agency's policy, often 30 days.

Want the short version to keep? Get the free Flock Camera Field Guide.

If you live in Pinal County

Arizona's public records law, A.R.S. § 39-121 et seq., opens public records to inspection by any person. Under § 39-121.01, the custodian must "promptly" provide copies, access is deemed denied if the custodian doesn't respond promptly, and you can ask for an index of any records withheld and the reasons. Send your request in writing to the Pinal County Sheriff's Office records unit.

1. Searches involving your plate

Flock systems keep an audit log of searches: who ran them, when, and the reason entered. Ask for:

All audit log entries where your plate number was searched in the Sheriff's Office Flock system, for the full contract period.
Any searches of the Sheriff's Office data by outside agencies that included your plate.

Expect pushback; agencies sometimes withhold search details tied to investigations. If they do, ask for the index of withheld records and the legal basis.

2. The contract, policy and sharing records

The Flock contract, renewals, and the notice of non-renewal.
The Sheriff's Office plate reader policy, including its retention period.
The list of outside agencies that could search the county's data, and any network audit reports.
The right-of-way agreement and the Aug. 12 termination notice.

3. Ask whether the data was actually deleted

A contract ending doesn't automatically mean the data is gone. Ask in writing: Has Flock deleted all Sheriff's Office data, and on what date? Was any data exported or preserved? Request written confirmation of deletion from the vendor. If you live in Maricopa or Casa Grande, send a separate request to your city about its own contract.

If your city still has them

Find the staff report. Search your council's agenda archive for "Flock" or "license plate reader." The approval should list cost, camera count and term.
Send written questions to your council member and police chief about retention, sharing, and how many outside searches hit your city's data.
Speak at public comment. Pinal County shows the argument isn't partisan; a sheriff made it on constitutional grounds.
Build a coalition and ask for one concrete thing: a pause, a public audit, or a vote before renewal.

Don't touch the cameras themselves. It's a crime, and it hands the vendor the story it wants. The wins come from elected officials.

Going further

Ghost Protocol ($19.99) is our field guide and toolkit for dealing with plate readers. If you're organizing against a contract in your city, the Organizer Kit is built for that. And the $9 Records Request Letter Pack saves you from drafting the requests above from scratch.