Grassroots Coalition Launches “What the Flock” Campaign to Amend SB 1111 alpr mass surveillance bill

Summary: Arizona's grassroots coalition, via whattheflock.us, is pushing to amend SB 1111 by adding strong privacy protections to automated license plate reader systems (ALPRs)—such as 30-day data deletion, warrant requirements, and citizen access rights—before the bill codifies widespread automated license plate reader surveillance. Fueled by citizen journalists, cross-party groups, and direct legislator outreach, the effort aims to prevent mass tracking and data misuse while still allowing law enforcement to use ALPRs for serious crimes.

ARIZONA – Arizona citizens from across the political spectrum have formed a fast-moving grassroots coalition to stop Senate Bill 1111 (SB 1111) from turning the state into a permanent surveillance grid—unless strong privacy protections are added first. The effort is centered at whattheflock.us, where everyday Arizonans blocked from official “stakeholder” meetings created their own citizen amendment package.

A Personal Encounter with Surveillance Data

Independent journalist Jen’s Two Cents filed public records requests for the license-plate data the government holds on her vehicles. What came back included plates and vehicles that do not belong to her—proof that the system already creates inaccurate “pattern of life” files on ordinary people. She warns that without fixes, SB 1111 will lock these errors and mass-tracking practices into state law.

SB 1111: Codifying Surveillance with Weak Guardrails

SB 1111 would give statewide legal cover to automated license plate readers—cameras that photograph every passing car, log its location, time, and direction, then feed the data to police and private vendors like Flock Safety. The bill currently offers only minimal training and password rules, with no limit on how long data is kept, no warrant requirement for broad searches, and no way for citizens to see or correct their own records.

During a February 10, 2026 Senate hearing, sponsor Sen. Mark Finchem acknowledged the cameras are “already out of the barn” in many Arizona towns and said the bill is mainly about adding guardrails after the fact.

Local Transparency Failures

In Sierra Vista, police installed 16 Flock cameras and scanned 138,000 vehicles before the city council even received a formal presentation. The only council action was to accept grant money—raising serious questions under Arizona’s Open Meeting Law.

Grassroots Coalition Rises Up

Citizen organizer Merissa Caldwell sent a direct message to legislators: imagine your political opponent (or anyone with access) knowing every place you have driven for years. She demands the full citizen amendments—30-day automatic deletion, warrants for AI-powered searches, and explicit bans on using the data for political profiling or First Amendment monitoring—or a “no” vote on the bill.

The Arizona Green Party added SB 1111 to its legislative agenda, stating “No on SB 1111 unless they adopt the Citizen Amendments” and directing members to contact lawmakers.

Group Declares February 23rd a Day of Protest

On February 23, 2026, Jen’s Two Cents declared a “License Plate Readers DAY OF PROTEST,” urging Arizonans to call bill sponsors Sen. Mark Finchem and Sen. Kevin Payne and insist on the complete five-tier citizen amendment package before any further movement.

Jen followed up by sharing her own six quick phone calls (some answered live, some voicemail) using a simple script: introduce yourself, ask the office to support the citizen amendments on whattheflock.us or vote no, and thank them. Total time: under 10 minutes. She encouraged everyone to do the same.

What the Amendments Would Do

The coalition’s proposal creates five tiers of protection: short data retention, closed loopholes, real oversight and audits, citizen rights to view and delete data plus the ability to sue, and a sunset clause so the law is reviewed every few years. Law enforcement would still get fast alerts for serious felony cases, but only with documented case numbers and supervisor approval—balancing safety with constitutional privacy.

From WhattheFlock.us:

Five Tiers of Protection:

TIER 1 — THE STRUCTURAL ESSENTIALSWithout these, passing the bill is worse than passing nothing at all. These stop SB 1111 from legalizing unlimited mass tracking.

TIER 2 — CLOSES THE BACKDOORSPlugs the biggest loopholes so the Tier 1 rules can’t be easily bypassed or rendered meaningless.

TIER 3 — ACCOUNTABILITY & OVERSIGHTAdds real teeth: audit trails, mandatory reporting, AG enforcement, and automatic shutdowns for non-compliance.

TIER 4 — CITIZEN RIGHTS & TRANSPARENCYGives everyday Arizonans power: your right to see/delete your data, public portals, and citizen lawsuits with real damages.

TIER 5 — SAFEGUARDS & SUNSETExtra layers of protection: short retention, no occupant photos, community votes, and a 3-year sunset to force future review as tech evolves.

Where to Learn More About the Effort

Visit whattheflock.us for the full amendment text, one-page summaries, and easy tools to contact legislators through the Request to Speak system. Their message is simple: real safety respects privacy. Arizona does not have to become a “totalitarian state like China.”

With the bill moving quickly, the coalition is proving that when citizens organize across party lines, they can still shape legislation that affects every driver in the state. The next few days will decide whether SB 1111 becomes a surveillance blank check—or one of the strongest privacy-protecting ALPR laws in the country. The stop for SB1111 in the Senate is Committee of the Whole, where amendments can proceed.

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