The FBI is moving to buy nationwide access to a network of license plate readers, seeking contracts for near real-time data from cameras across the United States and its territories. The proposed contract, issued by the FBI Directorate of Intelligence, aims to track vehicles on roads and highways to evaluate threats to personal safety and property.
The system must cover at least 75% of locations and allow searches by full or partial plate numbers, vehicle descriptions, time and date, and geo-location. Contractors must also provide heat maps of camera coverage and identify the source of data-such as red-light cameras, speed cameras, or repossession vendors.
The Request for Proposals divides the U.S. into six regions, including Hawaii, Alaska, and territories. Contracts worth up to $36 million combined may be awarded to one or two vendors per region for up to five years. Flock and Motorola Solutions are well-positioned to bid, as both already sell license plate reader systems to local police.
Flock says its data belongs to local agencies and sharing is opt-in by default. The company has federal customers like National Parks and VA hospitals but says it does not work with ICE. State laws in California and Virginia restrict sharing of ALPR data with federal or out-of-state agencies, which the FBI says contractors must comply with.