But the cameras have also been installed in many of the parking lots of at least two retailers around the state: Lowe’s and Home Depot. The automated systems take photos of the back of your vehicle as you drive to pick up spring planters or new patio furniture at the big-box home improvement stores.
The companies use the cameras primarily to prevent retail theft and to increase public safety, according to public policies listed on their website. Law enforcement can access data from Lowe’s and Home Depot’s license plate cameras in Connecticut, specifically cameras made by a company called Flock Safety, police officials told CT Insider.
Automated license plate cameras installed along public roads on behalf of police departments have come under scrutiny in recent months after CT Insider reported that camera data collected by Connecticut police department cameras was searched thousands of times by out-of-state agencies for federal immigration enforcement. While CT Insider has confirmed more than two dozen departments use the technology, there is no public database detailing which departments use them and where they are located.
Questions remain on whether out-of-state agencies are also accessing data from the cameras at Home Depot and Lowe’s in Connecticut.
Home Depot told CT Insider in a statement that it does not share information directly with federal immigration authorities. Home Depot says on its website “We do not grant access to our license plate readers to federal law enforcement.”
“These cameras are used for the purpose of detecting and preventing theft and protecting the safety of our customers and associates,” said Sarah McDonald, spokesperson for Home Depot.
The company, however, did not respond to a question about whether out-of-state agencies could access data from the cameras at Connecticut stores, similar to what has been done with the data collected by local police departments. In some cases, CT Insider found out-of-state law enforcement agencies were accessing a national networking and appeared to be conducting searches on behalf of federal agencies.
Lowe’s website says “We only disclose your personal information if required by law or legal process, or when we believe doing so will help protect the safety, property, or rights of individuals or Lowe’s.” Lowe’s did not respond to multiple requests for comments.
“We use ALPR systems for safety and security, fraud prevention, and asset protection purposes,” the Lowe’s license plate reader usage and privacy policy states on the company’s website.
Flock has confirmed to CT Insider that federal agencies do not have direct access to license plate data collected by their systems. The company faced scrutiny last summer after it was reported Flock gave federal agencies like the Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Patrol access to Illinois data as part of a pilot program to combat human trafficking and fentanyl distribution. The company ended that pilot program and placed other restrictions on federal agency requests of local data.
CT Insider reported in February that while the direct sharing no longer exists, police departments around the country appeared to be performing “ICE” and “ICE assist” searches on behalf of federal agencies. The Florida Highway Patrol, for example, conducted hundreds of searches on Connecticut data that cite the reasons for the search as “ICE,” “Assist ICE” or “ICE support,” among other immigration-related queries.
Holly Beilin, a spokesperson for Flock, said private companies that use Flock are able to share data with both local and out-of-state law enforcement agencies upon request.
“That is the norm that they share with their local law enforcement, but jurisdictions do often cross,” said Beilin. “There aren’t specific technical hard-coded restrictions in the system.”
Beilin said that while law enforcement agencies can share data to a “national network” to allow for reciprocal camera access to agencies in different states, private agencies can share data with any agency that requests access.
Home Depot and Lowe’s public license plate reader policies confirm law enforcement can be granted access to data, although information on what agencies are allowed access are not provided. Unlike police departments, which are subject to public records laws, private companies do not have to disclose records of what law enforcement agencies are searching data from their store locations.
“I don’t think we really have good a sense in the public as how private companies that have the technology are using the data, how long they are retaining it, how they are sharing it,” said Ken Barone , the manager of the University of Connecticut’s Racial Profiling Prohibition Project that focuses on equitable roadway safety. “I think it’s entirely a black box.”
Some police departments in Connecticut told CT Insider that they entered into written agreements with retailers in their towns to allow them automatic and continuous access for searches on data collected at stores.
In Waterford, for example, police sent a written request to the Lowe’s in Waterford for automatic access to their cameras in 2024, records obtained through Freedom of Information request show. The request was granted, and Waterford requests other Lowe’s around the state on a case-by-case basis as needed, according to the department.
“Occasionally some of the information that’s obtained by their cameras can be useful in an investigation,” said police Lt. Patrick Flanagan. “When we are investigating organized retail theft crews, we can connect the dots from some of the data that is inside their parking lots.”
Police Lt. Shawn Solek of Berlin said that the department has also requested access to Lowe’s and Home Depot cameras in Connecticut, which tend to be located so vehicles entering or exiting the store are captured by the cameras.
“It turns on that data from the cameras that are located on the Lowe’s and Home Depot property, just like our own, if we were to search for a specific license plate or vehicle ID, that data would be included in our searches,” Solek said. “Any crimes that occur in their store and their parking lot, any crime would be caught on the camera and help kickstart our investigation.”
Home Depot, which deploys automated license plate cameras in many of its parking lots in Connecticut, is facing a class action lawsuit in California over how it collects and shares data. The lawsuit alleges that law enforcement agencies nationwide are accessing Home Depot’s license plate data in violation of the state’s laws on automated license plate data collection. The case, filed last month in California superior court, was recently moved to federal court. Home Depot has not yet filed a response in the case and no future dates for hearings are set.
Legislation on automated license plate cameras was signed into law in Connecticut on Monday, spurred by concerns about how the systems were used for federal immigration enforcement. License plate camera regulation was folded into broader, more controversial legislation on immigration enforcement.
The law limits what data police departments can sharing with out-of-state agencies, enacts strict data retention policies and prohibits the use of the systems for immigration enforcement. It does not address private companies that have the same automated license plate systems.
“We can control very readily what state and local public agencies do,” said state Rep. Matt Blumenthal, D-Stamford. “It may be a thornier issue to deal with private owners and users.”
Solek, of Berlin, said that because legislation only allows police departments to share license plate data with surrounding states, it may limit how effective the tool can be for certain investigations. He explained that Berlin was able to solve a case of an elderly woman who was robbed through Florida license plate data.
“The tool is really invaluable and helps people and helps us do their job the best we can,” Solek said.
Barone said that with the changing technological landscape, it is hard to keep track of all the tools that law enforcement has access to.
“License plate readers are just the beginning,” he said.
Staff writer Joshua Eaton contributed to this report.
©2026 Journal Inquirer, Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
