UB Pauses Flock License Plate Camera Pilot

The University at Buffalo has indefinitely halted a plan to test license plate-reading cameras on its campuses amid concerns over data use.

Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Law Enforcement

UB Pauses Flock License Plate Camera Pilot

Live Poll

Would you support police using license plate cameras in your local community?

The University at Buffalo indefinitely paused its plan to test Flock license plate-reading cameras on its North and South campuses. The cameras would have collected license plate information and vehicle characteristics, but not facial recognition.

Why it matters

The decision comes after three Cheektowaga Police Department employees were suspended for searching a female co-worker's license plate without her knowledge more than 200 times over several months. UB President Caroline Attardo Genco said more engagement with the university community is needed before deciding on the pilot.

UB announced the pilot in August with 20 cameras planned for installation at campus entrances and exits next spring, but the plan is now on indefinite hold. The University Police Advisory Committee will develop a framework to advise senior leadership, and no decision on the pilot has been reached.

The players

University at Buffalo

A public research university in Buffalo, New York, and part of the State University of New York system.

Caroline Attardo Genco

The president of the University at Buffalo, who asked the University Police Advisory Committee to engage the university community on the pilot.

Flock

A company that sells automated license plate-reading camera systems to law enforcement and other customers.

The details

UB received a 60-day free trial from Flock with no obligations beyond the trial period. The university said it would establish safeguards and access restrictions around the technology before any rollout, and said the collected data would not be used to assist federal immigration agencies with civilian immigration enforcement.

August 2026: UB announced a 60-day pilot program involving 20 cameras.
October 2026: Three Cheektowaga police employees were suspended after an internal investigation.
November 5, 2026: UB indefinitely paused the Flock camera pilot plan.

Legal Context

The pause follows the misuse of Flock license plate data by three Cheektowaga Police Department employees, who searched a co-worker's plate more than 200 times. The episode illustrates how automated plate-reading systems raise access-control and oversight questions for public institutions in the Buffalo area.

Buffalo-area residents and university community members will not see Flock cameras installed at North and South campus entrances and exits next spring while the pilot is on hold. The university's advisory committee framework will determine how any future use of plate-reading data is overseen and restricted.

The takeaway

Decisions about surveillance tools in public institutions depend on clear access limits and community input before deployment, as the Cheektowaga misuse case shows. Readers who want to track how the university handles the proposal can follow updates from the University Police Advisory Committee.