Sen. Josh Hawley opened a Senate investigation Wednesday into Flock Safety, the Atlanta-based operator of a nationwide network of automated license plate reader cameras. The Missouri Republican demanded internal records on how the company collects, stores, and shares data pulled from its roughly 120,000 cameras across the country.

Hawley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism, sent a letter to Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langley requesting documents by September 8. The inquiry focuses on the company's policies for law enforcement access, camera placement, data handling, contracts with local governments, and revenue sources.

The senator noted that Flock operates more than 120,000 cameras in 49 states and processes over 20 billion vehicle scans each month. He argued that Congress never authorized the creation of such a national surveillance network and that the company's internal policies serve as the only real safeguards for hundreds of millions of Americans.

Hawley cited recent examples of alleged misuse to justify the probe. In Missouri, the St. Charles County Police Department ended its contract after an audit found a civilian employee had conducted personal searches unrelated to law enforcement duties. In Milwaukee, prosecutors charged an officer with running repeated unauthorized searches on a girlfriend's license plate and her former boyfriend's plate.

The letter also seeks records of any known or suspected misuse of Flock systems since 2021, along with information on the cameras' accuracy, security protocols, and any data collected beyond license plate details. Hawley pointed to incidents of false positives, including a Florida case where a woman spent 13 days in jail on felony charges based on an erroneous vehicle description search.

This marks the latest step in Hawley's efforts to address AI-driven surveillance and privacy risks. Two weeks earlier, he held a subcommittee hearing on AI surveillance pricing and consumer data practices.

The request for documents is not yet a subpoena, though Hawley could pursue one if Flock does not comply. Flock Safety has not publicly responded to the letter as of Wednesday afternoon.