Rhode Island ALPR installation pause and 60-day review (2026)

Rhode Island — Gov. McKee Orders a Statewide Pause on Installing or Activating New ALPR Cameras and a 60-Day Review to Set Uniform Standards (August 18, 2026)
Rhode Island · Rhode Island — Governor's order pausing new ALPR installation and commissioning a 60-day statewide review (issued August 18, 2026)

Status
In effect
Took effect
August 18, 2026
Applies to
Rhode Island State Police (binding); Rhode Island cities and towns and their police departments (urged, not ordered)
Enforced by
Office of the Governor of Rhode Island; Rhode Island State Police

Governor Dan McKee ordered a statewide pause on installing or activating any new automated license plate reader cameras on August 18, 2026, together with a sixty-day review to establish uniform standards governing the technology and the data it collects. The order binds the Rhode Island State Police directly: they may keep using the cameras they already have, but they may not install or activate any new ones. For cities and towns the order is a request rather than a command — McKee urged them to follow suit, which is the limit of what a governor can do to independent municipal police departments. He directed State Police Colonel Darnel Weaver to run the review in consultation with the Rhode Island Police Chiefs' Association, the Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns and other stakeholders. The stated endpoint is legislation: McKee said that when the review is done he will work with lawmakers on a bill codifying the protections and establishing clear, consistent statewide standards for ALPR use. The order came as municipalities across Rhode Island were already resisting Flock cameras on their own, and it is one of four state-level actions in August 2026 — with Florida, Texas and Connecticut — that marked a national turn against license plate surveillance.

Who is protected: Rhode Island drivers and residents subject to ALPR data collection

Legal detail

State of Rhode Island — Governor's order of August 18, 2026 pausing the installation and activation of new automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras statewide and commissioning a 60-day review. BINDING SCOPE vs. ADVISORY SCOPE — the distinction that governs how this entry should be read: the order DIRECTLY BINDS the Rhode Island State Police, which may continue operating existing cameras but may not install or activate new ones. As to municipal police departments, the Governor URGES cities and towns to follow suit; he has no direct authority to order independent municipal agencies to stop, so local compliance is voluntary. REVIEW: directed to Rhode Island State Police Col. Darnel Weaver, to be conducted in consultation with the Rhode Island Police Chiefs' Association, the Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns and other appropriate stakeholders, with a 60-day completion target (approximately October 17, 2026). PURPOSE: to establish uniform statewide standards governing ALPR use and the data collected. STATED ENDPOINT: the Governor will work with lawmakers on legislation codifying the protections and establishing clear, consistent statewide standards — so this instrument is explicitly a bridge to legislation rather than a permanent regime, and expires_date reflects the review window, not a sunset on the pause itself. CONTEXT: municipalities across Rhode Island were already resisting Flock deployments; at least one city publicly defended the system's usefulness in a recent arrest while the review was announced. PART OF THE AUGUST 2026 MULTI-STATE ALPR REVERSAL with Florida, Texas and Connecticut.

Key facts

JurisdictionRhode Island
LevelState
StrengthModerate
EnactedAugust 18, 2026
CitationRhode Island — Governor's order pausing new ALPR installation and commissioning a 60-day statewide review (issued August 18, 2026)
Private right of actionNo, agency enforcement only
PenaltiesState Police may not install or activate new ALPR cameras during the review; municipal compliance is voluntary
Topicspolice and surveillance AI · consumer data privacy · government use of AI · data retention
News reportAs municipalities across Rhode Island resist Flock cameras, McKee orders review — Rhode Island Current

More AI rules in Rhode Island

Related police and surveillance AI rules elsewhere

See something wrong or out of date? Submit a correction. Every entry must carry a verifiable source.