St. Charles County Police Chief backs executive order on license plate readers
The short version: A St. Charles County police chief praises Missouri's new ALPR executive order as proof local policy is already strict enough — but 'trust us' isn't oversight.
Our Take
FOX 2 St. Louis reports that St. Charles County Police Chief Kurt Frisz is applauding Governor Mike Kehoe's new executive order on license plate readers, insisting his department's own policies already meet or exceed whatever safeguards the state just put on paper. That's a convenient claim to make when there's no independent audit requiring him to prove it. Executive orders can sound reassuring in a press hit, but without public reporting requirements, retention caps enforced by someone other than the agency itself, and real penalties for misuse, 'our policy is already strict' is just a talking point.
This is the pattern we keep seeing nationwide: a state issues guidance, a local chief says 'we're already compliant,' and the actual camera network, data-sharing agreements, and audit logs stay hidden from the public that's being tracked by them. Missouri residents deserve to know exactly which agencies are running ALPR cameras in their county, who else can query that data, and how long it sits in a database before deletion — not just a chief's word on a news segment.
If you live in or around St. Charles County, check our camera map to see what's already been documented near you, and use our take-action resources to push your local government for the kind of transparency an executive order alone won't guarantee.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of FOX 2 St. Louis, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.