Police departments across Kentucky are increasingly refusing to disclose the locations of automated license plate-reading cameras, relying on a 2025 change to the state’s Open Records Act.
According to reporting by the Lexington Herald-Leader and WKYT, law enforcement agencies in Richmond, Bowling Green and Frankfort have denied requests seeking the locations of Flock Safety cameras installed within their jurisdictions.
Flock cameras photograph vehicles and record information such as license plate numbers, vehicle descriptions, the direction of travel and the time a vehicle passed the camera. Police agencies use the information to investigate stolen vehicles, wanted suspects and other criminal activity.
The cameras generally operate along public roadways, but several departments now argue that disclosing their exact locations could undermine investigations or allow individuals to avoid surveillance.
House Bill 520 Changed the Standard
House Bill 520, approved during Kentucky’s 2025 legislative session, amended KRS 61.878 of the Kentucky Open Records Act.
The amendment allows law enforcement records to be withheld when releasing the information could create an “articulable risk of harm” to a law enforcement agency or its investigation.
The measure became law in 2025 and created a broader standard under which police departments may deny requests for certain investigative records.
The Kentucky Attorney General’s Office has upheld denials involving requests for Flock camera locations, including a request submitted to the Bowling Green Police Department.
Transparency Concerns
Supporters of withholding the locations argue that publishing them could help suspects determine where police surveillance equipment is positioned and allow them to avoid detection.
Open-government advocates, however, have expressed concern that the amended law gives police departments greater discretion to conceal records involving publicly funded surveillance systems operating along public streets.
The Kentucky Open Government Coalition warned while House Bill 520 was being considered that the legislation would create a less demanding standard for denying access to law enforcement records.
The dispute raises broader questions about how much information the public should receive concerning technology that records vehicles traveling on public roads.
Possible Local Impact
The Morehead Minute previously used Kentucky’s Open Records Act to obtain information concerning Flock cameras used by the Morehead Police Department, including camera-location information and details about the law enforcement agencies with which data could be shared.
The recent attorney general decisions indicate that similar requests submitted to some Kentucky police departments may now be denied under House Bill 520.
Whether a particular request is granted may depend on the agency involved, the information requested and the agency’s explanation of how disclosure could create a risk to an investigation or law enforcement operations.