Facing renewed public pushback over surveillance technology, St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway is standing by his department's use of Flock license plate readers, arguing the cameras exist to solve crimes, not to track ordinary citizens. Fifty of the automated devices are currently active across the city, part of a program the department launched in 2021. The system also allows investigators to quickly rule out vehicles that have nothing to do with a given case. "They'll be held civilly liable if that person wants to sue them for running their tag or running their information. If they're using it for personal reasons, they're on their own.