Flock Safety is one of the country's largest and most widely used license plate reader companies.
The city's decision comes amid ongoing debate over automated license plate readers, which police use to track suspects, stolen vehicles and missing persons.
Because the cameras continuously capture images of passing cars, some drivers say they worry about how much information is being collected.
"I have a concern about invasion of privacy," said Kia, a New Castle County resident. "I'm kind of on the fence, though. I do believe in following the rules. I do believe in safety. But it's like a fine line. I really don't know exactly how I feel about that. I need to do more research."
"It can go both ways, said Alberta Bowers of Wilmington. If they're using it to solve crimes, I applaud them. I would like that."
Wilmington, Delaware, to decomission Flock cameras amid growing debate over mass surveillance system
Privacy advocates like Mike Brickner, executive director of the ACLU Delaware chapter, applauded Wilmington's decision to do away with the Flock cameras.
But Wilmington continues to use license plate readers from other vendors.
"In a lot of cities there might be dozens or more of these cameras, and so if you're just driving around on a single day, it's going to track every single one of your movements, and that all goes together into one database. That is a very scary thing," he said.
The cameras were donated to the city in 2023 by a nonprofit, Delaware HELP Initiative. In a statement to Action News, the mayor's office said the city is removing the devices "because we are not in control of how they share data, and we do not have a contract with them."
Flock Safety responded in a statement saying, "We respect Wilmington's decision to evaluate public safety technology based on its policies and community priorities. When a tool that is actively helping solve violent crimes is removed, public safety moves backward. That has real consequences: cases will take longer to solve, organized retail theft crews will operate with fewer obstacles, an Amber Alert may not be returned home, and victims may wait longer, or indefinitely, for justice."
In New Castle County, police utilize 14 Flock cameras and say they're a game-changer in solving cases.
Master Cpl. Richard Chambers said the system helped officerslocate a carjacking suspect in Newark in March.
"One of the officers was able to, using the Flock system, was able to place the vehicle in the vicinity of the Christiana Mall. He patrolled Christiana Mall and was able to locate the stolen vehicle from a Flock hit," Chambers said.
He also pointed to a robbery arrest in April that was the result of Flock cameras, and said there are many more examples.
He also says the activity is monitored by a supervisor.
But there have been cases of abuse among law enforcement agencies in other places. Last week, a North Carolina police officer was charged after allegedly using Flock cameras to track her boyfriend's ex-wife.
Flock Safety said it has tools built into the platform to flag abnormal search activity and detect misuse. Every search is recorded in an audit trail, for example.
"It's a disappointing story when I see it, but I also go, look - this is working," said Garrett Langley, Flock Safety's CEO. "This is showing that if you use a tool like Flock or other tools, you should be held accountable regardless of whether you have a badge or you don't."
A company spokesperson said the cameras capture only still images of vehicles and license plates, not faces, and that agencies control their own data.
Access is limited to authorized users, searches require documented justification, and data is automatically deleted after 30 days unless an agency sets a different retention period "consistent with applicable law and policy."
Privacy advocates say more protections are still needed. Brickner said the ACLU recognizes that the technology can be a valuable crime-fighting tool, but wants more regulation.
"We oftentimes can't stop the drumbeat of technology. People are always gonna innovate; there's gonna be new tools out there. But we have to make sure that we have the protections in place to ensure that our rights aren't trampled on," he said.
Flock Safety said it "strongly supports" legislation to establish safeguards around license plate reader technology.