State Sen. John Albers announced Tuesday, Aug. 25, he is joining a task force exploring whether Georgia needs new laws to curb police misuse of Flock cameras.

Albers, a Roswell Republican who chairs the Senate Public Safety Committee, told reporters at the Georgia Capitol that the Georgia Sheriffs' Association and the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police formed the task force, WABE reported. Other lawmakers were also invited to participate, he said.

"People have concerns and public trust is paramount," Albers said, while also calling the cameras "an invaluable crime-fighting tool."

The announcement carries direct weight in Alpharetta, where Flock cameras are deployed along local roads. An InvestigateTV investigation in May photographed a Flock camera in the city as part of a national report on the technology. Flock Safety told Atlanta News First in 2023 that its cameras were watching in at least 70% of Georgia's cities.

Albers represents Senate District 56, which covers parts of Fulton, Cobb and Cherokee counties, including his home base of Roswell.

The task force comes after a wave of abuse cases statewide. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has arrested and charged at least 14 people in 2026 for violating the state law restricting license-plate-camera use to official law-enforcement purposes, according to Georgia Recorder. On Aug. 21, the GBI arrested four former Savannah Police Department employees on charges of misusing a license plate reader system; three of the four also face a violation-of-oath-of-office charge.

An Institute for Justice database has documented 170 abuse incidents nationwide, with 57 in Georgia, the Fulton Neighbor reported. Abuses range from officers allegedly stalking romantic partners to innocent people held at gunpoint after cameras misread a plate.

Georgia already has a law on the books. O.C.G.A. § 35-1-22, enacted in 2018, makes knowingly misusing automated license plate reader data a high and aggravated misdemeanor. But the recent surge of cases has raised questions about whether that statute is sufficient.

The day before his task force announcement, Albers published an editorial through the Georgia Senate Press Office arguing the state must balance the cameras' investigative value against the risk of abuse. "We do not have to choose between safe communities and individual liberty," he wrote.

Flock Safety, the Atlanta-based company that manufactures the cameras and serves roughly 7,000 law enforcement agencies, announced new accountability measures in mid-August. Those include reducing its recommended default data retention period from 30 days to seven days and making its audit tool mandatory, according to Spectrum News. CEO Garrett Langley told the outlet, "We've solved over a million crimes in the last 12 months."

Albers said he was unsure whether any legislation would emerge from the task force's discussions. He noted the distinction between regulating cameras on public property versus private property.

The task force is expected to present its findings before the 2027 legislative session convenes in January. Residents who want to report suspicious use of license plate reader data can contact the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.