public record SHOWS presence of ALPR technology IN MONROE

Automated License Plate Readers Are Documented in Monroe Township. 

But Who Owns the Cameras, Who Controls the Data, and What Is the Cost to Taxpayers?

Automated license plate recognition technology is part of modern policing, and Monroe Township, Gloucester County, is among the New Jersey municipalities identified as using it.

According to the Electronic Frontier Foundation's Atlas of Surveillance, the Monroe Township Police Department has an automated license plate reader (ALPR) program documented in a New Jersey State Police audit released in July 2025.

Additional publicly accessible surveillance mapping identifies four reported camera locations in Monroe Township, including three devices attributed to Flock Safety and one to Motorola Solutions.

While this technology can help law enforcement identify stolen vehicles and investigate crimes, its deployment also raises important questions about taxpayer spending, privacy protections, data storage and governmental oversight. 

Reported device & Approximate coordinates

Motorola Solutions ALPR - 39.6964, -74.9403 - MAP

Flock Safety ALPR - 39.6806, -74.9882 - MAP

APFlock Safety ALPR - 39.6715, -74.9268 - MAP

Flock Safety ALPR - 39.7126, -75.0299 - MAP

Source: MyTownView, September 30, 2026 

ALPR technology uses cameras and software to capture license plate information from passing vehicles. Depending on the system, records may include the plate number, date, time, location and images or characteristics of the vehicle. Such information can assist police investigations. It can also create searchable records of where vehicles have traveled. The distinction is important: These systems can capture information about ordinary motorists who are not suspected of committing any crime.

Publicly available information confirms the existence of an ALPR program associated with Monroe Township Police Department. However, the documents located so far do not establish:

How many cameras are owned or operated by Monroe Township.

> Whether Flock Safety, Motorola Solutions or both have contracts with the township.

> The total taxpayer cost, including ongoing subscription and maintenance fees.

> Which government entities have access to locally collected records. 

> How long information about ordinary motorists is retained.

> What internal safeguards exist against unauthorized searches or misuse.

> Whether the township has published a privacy policy specifically addressing this technology.

License plate readers can provide legitimate public safety benefits. Their use does not, in itself, indicate surveillance abuse or financial wrongdoing. But implementing technology capable of creating location records associated with passing vehicles should be accompanied by clear public policies, documented financial authorization and meaningful oversight.

New Jersey has established statewide ALPR directives, auditing requirements and data-handling rules. Residents should be able to understand how those statewide requirements are implemented locally. 

Who authorized the cameras? 

What did they cost? 

Who can search the information? How long is it retained? 

And what safeguards protect law-abiding motorists?

These are questions of government transparency, responsible spending and individual privacy.

The public record establishes the presence of ALPR technology in Monroe Township. Further documentation is necessary to determine the complete scope, financial arrangements and operating policies of the program. Public safety and personal privacy are not mutually exclusive. Residents deserve both.

1. Electronic Frontier Foundation, Atlas of Surveillance, Monroe Township Police Department, Gloucester County, New Jersey. https://www.atlasofsurveillance.org/a/NJ0081100ALPR
2. MyTownView, Flock Cameras in Monroe Township (Gloucester), New Jersey, updated September 30, 2026. https://mytownview.com/new-jersey/gloucester/monroe-township-gloucester/community/surveillance
3. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General, Attorney General Platkin and New Jersey State Police Release Audit of ALPR Data. https://www.njoag.gov/attorney-general-platkin-and-new-jersey-state-police-release-audit-of-alpr-data/
4. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General, Attorney General Directive 2010-5 and subsequent revisions concerning automated license plate readers. https://www.njoag.gov/resources/ag-directives/ag-directives-2010/

Monroe Township’s adopted 2021 budget listed “PD - LISENCE PLATE READER” for $30,000. 

The word "license" was misspelled in that adopted budget. Greg Wolfe was then a Councilman and Vice President of Council. On July 26, Greg Wolfe made the motion to approve a broader capital equipment bond ordinance and VOTED YES. What license plate reader equipment was purchased, who paid for it, who operates it, and what cameras are on Virginia Avenue and throughout Monroe Township?  Whether a camera is made by Motorola or Flock, residents deserve an inventory, the purchase records, and a clear explanation from the mayor and police department. Source: Adopted Budget (see page 62)