Missouri executive order establishes safeguards on cameras

Our Take

KSDK News reports that Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe has signed an executive order putting "safeguards" around automated license plate readers. On its face, that's progress — most states have zero rules governing how long Flock Safety and similar vendors can store your travel history, who can access it, or whether out-of-state agencies and federal immigration authorities get to go fishing through it. But we've seen this movie before: executive orders are easy to sign and just as easy for the next administration to quietly ignore or rescind. They don't carry the force of statute, and they don't give residents a legal right to sue when an agency breaks the rules.

The real test is in the details KSDK didn't have room to cover: Is there an audit trail? Can local police share data with ICE or out-of-state task forces? Is there a retention limit with teeth, or just a suggestion? Missouri already has a dense thicket of Flock cameras scanning plates block by block, and a press release promising "safeguards" doesn't delete a single data point already collected. Real accountability means binding legislation, public reporting requirements, and community oversight boards — not a one-page order that can vanish with the next election.

Credit to KSDK News for flagging the move. If you want to see how exposed your own neighborhood already is, check our camera map, and if you'd rather not wait on a governor's goodwill, our take-action page has tools for pushing your city council toward real, enforceable limits.