Bobby Charles opposes broad Flock use but favors police tools
Bobby CharlesMaine gubernatorial candidate
Charles opposed broad Flock deployment but said police should retain surveillance tools for serious investigations.
“I generally am against the broad use of Flock cameras. I'm also of the view that law enforcement needs tools to get the truly bad guys out of the state.”
Interview

Where this statement fits
Should Flock-style license-plate surveillance networks exist?
Networked automated license-plate readers record passing vehicles and let agencies search or share travel records across locations. Candidates and officials disagree over whether to prohibit these networks, keep them with legal limits, or defend their use for investigations. This tracker records attributable positions on that choice, including proposals that would affect only public funding or data access.
Source and context
Interview
About this source
WGME interviews three Maine gubernatorial candidates about Flock cameras, including Bobby Charles on limited police use.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Maine candidates were asked whether the state should ban Flock cameras.
After the quotation
Charles also said surveillance can be appropriate with Fourth Amendment protections.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
He rejects broad use while allowing targeted law-enforcement use.
- Recorded on
- Published here
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Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Bobby Charles opposes broad Flock use but favors police tools
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/events/3009-charles-opposed-broad-flock-deployment-but-said-police
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Bobby Charles opposes broad Flock use but favors police tools". First published: 2026-09-29. Last updated: 2026-09-29. https://disputeindex.com/events/3009-charles-opposed-broad-flock-deployment-but-said-police