Law enforcement agencies in Suffolk County, New York, have more than doubled their deployment of AI-powered vehicle surveillance cameras over the past year, significantly expanding monitoring along key roadways, including many in the Hamptons. County officials confirmed that since August 2025, over 30 new Flock Safety cameras have been added to the existing network, increasing the total number of county-operated cameras from 25 to approximately 60. This represents a 140% increase in the system’s coverage.

These new cameras were funded through a $542,500 state grant and received unanimous approval from the Suffolk County Legislature last year. The Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department reported that 16 of the recently installed units are situated across Southampton, Riverhead, Southold, Sag Harbor, and East Hampton Village. Additionally, other AI-powered license plate readers have been deployed on Suffolk roads, although officials did not specify the locations as these installations reportedly did not require legislative authorization.

Beyond the county’s direct installations, Suffolk County is also served by hundreds more Flock Safety cameras installed under agreements with towns, villages, and private communities. Many of these cameras share their data directly with local police forces, further expanding the reach of vehicle surveillance in the region. Nearby Nassau County’s extensive use of Flock cameras—approximately one camera for every 9½ miles—has contributed to making Long Island one of the most surveilled populations in the United States.

Flock Safety’s camera systems automatically capture information on every passing vehicle, including license plate numbers and distinctive vehicle characteristics such as dents and bumper stickers. Law enforcement agencies across the country are able to query the company’s database without obtaining warrants, a practice that has raised privacy and constitutional concerns among civil liberties advocates.

In Suffolk County, plans to deploy Flock Safety’s “Raven” audio surveillance system, following a $4 million contract signed earlier this year, were unexpectedly delayed last week amid growing public scrutiny. Critics have compared the expanded surveillance technologies to “Big Brother” monitoring and expressed Fourth Amendment concerns during protests both locally and nationwide.

Data from Suffolk County law enforcement indicates that in June alone, officers conducted around 3,000 manual searches through the Flock Safety database. Nationwide, the surveillance system has faced criticism following numerous incidents of misuse. Reports indicate that over 100 officers across the United States have been arrested for improper use of Flock data, including 18 officers in Georgia this summer. Among those cases was a police chief who reportedly used the system to track a former partner and her teenage daughter nearly 600 times.