The Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) announced on September 18, 2026 that it has purchased four automatic license‑plate cameras, models comparable to the commercial Flock system, capable of recording the plate number of every vehicle that passes beneath them.
The new units will be added to the police force’s existing surveillance network and are intended to create a digital log of vehicle movements across the city’s streets. Each camera automatically captures alphanumeric identifiers without requiring manual input.
The rollout arrives amid ongoing citywide debates about privacy and vehicle‑tracking technology. Community organisations and legal commentators have raised questions about the extent to which continuous plate monitoring might enable the tracking of individual travel patterns, while police representatives point to the tools’ potential to speed the identification of stolen cars and locate suspects.
The SPVM has not released details on where the four cameras will be installed or the schedule for activation. Officials said the acquisition follows municipal guidelines for data retention and is part of a broader effort to modernise policing equipment while remaining mindful of public concerns.
City officials indicated that the data captured by the cameras will be stored in secure municipal databases and accessed only for authorized investigations. They also noted that the police force plans to review the technology’s impact on privacy and to adjust policies as the public discussion evolves.