Polk County
County record. Includes every city and agency within Polk County.
Technology presence
What these categories mean
- ALPR
- Automated license plate readers (ALPR): camera systems that automatically capture, read, and log vehicle license plates with location and time, producing a searchable record of vehicle movements.
- Fixed cameras & RTCC
- Agency-operated fixed video cameras and the real-time crime centers (RTCC) that aggregate live and recorded feeds for monitoring. Extends the Electronic Frontier Foundation's Atlas, which enumerates real-time crime centers and camera registries but not standalone fixed-camera estates.
- Face recognition
- Software that matches faces in images or video against a reference database to identify or verify individuals.
- Drones / UAS
- Uncrewed aerial systems (UAS), commonly called drones, operated by an agency for overhead observation, imaging, or sensing.
- Gunshot detection
- Networks of acoustic sensors that detect and locate suspected gunfire and alert an agency.
- Body-worn & dashcam
- Officer body-worn and in-vehicle dashboard cameras that record encounters; public access to the footage is frequently restricted.
- Doorbell & camera registry
- Programs that give an agency access to privately owned camera footage: doorbell-camera partnerships, citizen camera registries, and private-camera integration platforms.
- Cell-site simulators
- Devices that mimic cell towers to locate or identify nearby mobile phones. They are often called Stingrays, or IMSI catchers after the international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) number that identifies each phone on a network. Adjacent: communications surveillance outside the visual/sensor core.
- Predictive policing
- Software that forecasts where crime may occur or who may be involved, to direct policing. Adjacent: analytics rather than a sensing deployment.
- Social-media monitoring
- Tools that collect and analyze public social-media activity for an agency. Adjacent: open-source/communications monitoring outside the visual/sensor core.
The record, by agency
Lakeland Police Department
The Lakeland Police Department operates a Condor camera from Flock Safety as of September 2025. The camera is paired with video analytics software.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Pittsboro Police Department
The Lakeland Police Department purchased 165 mobile automated license plate reader systems, but had only installed 120 as of February 2023.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): The Ledger
The Lakeland Police Department purchased 250 Axon body-worn cameras in late 2021, but the cameras may not be fully deployed until 2023.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Government Technology
The Lakeland Police Department operates four drones as of 2018, according to data compiled by the Center for the Study of the Drone at Bard College.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Center for the Study of the Drone at Bard Collegewww.newschief.com
The Lakeland Police Department is one of more than 275 law enforcement agencies with access to the Face Analysis Comparison & Examination System (FACES), a face recognition program maintained by the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office. Investigators may upload an image to search more than 25-million Florida driver's license photos and mugshots.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Orlando SentinelCenter on Privacy & Technology at Georgetown LawPinellas County Sheriff's Office
Polk County Sheriff's Office
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office uses Flock Safety automated license plate readers as of July 2024.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Plant City Observer
The Polk County Sheriff's Office operates 29 DJI drones as of 2018, according to data compiled by the Center for the Study of the Drone at Bard College.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Center for the Study of the Drone at Bard CollegeFlorida Sheriffs Associationwww.wfla.com
The Polk County Sheriff's Office is one of more than 275 law enforcement agencies with access to the Face Analysis Comparison & Examination System (FACES), a face recognition program maintained by the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office. Investigators may upload an image to search more than 25-million Florida driver's license photos and mugshots.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Orlando SentinelCenter on Privacy & Technology at Georgetown LawPinellas County Sheriff's Office
The Polk County Sheriff's Office oeprates a real-time crime center.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Geebo
Haines City Police Department
The Haines City Police Department entered into a five-year renewal agreement for two automated license plate reader trailers in 2020. Police began using Flock Safety fixed ALPR in 2024.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Four Corners SunHaines City Commissio
The Haines City Police Department entered into an agreement with LensLock for body-worn cameras in 2022.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): The Ledger
The Haines City Police Department operates one DJI Mavic drone as of 2019, according to data compiled by the Center for the Study of the Drone at Bard College.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Center for the Study of the Drone at Bard Collegewww.theledger.com
The Haines City Police Department is one of more than 275 law enforcement agencies with access to the Face Analysis Comparison & Examination System (FACES), a face recognition program maintained by the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office. Investigators may upload an image to search more than 25-million Florida driver's license photos and mugshots.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Orlando SentinelCenter on Privacy & Technology at Georgetown LawPinellas County Sheriff's Office
Lake Hamilton Police Department
The Lake Hamilton Police Department received a Small, Rural, and Tribal Body-Worn Camera Program grant for $12,500 for 12 body-worn cameras in 2023.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Justice & Security StrategiesJustice & Security Strategies
Winter Haven Police Department
The Winter Haven Police Department outfitted 69 officers with Axon body-worn cameras in 2022.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Winter Haven Police DepartmentWUSF
Winter Haven, FL received a Byrne Memorial Grant to purchase icense plate readers in 2019.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Winter Haven 2021-22 City BudgetDeltona, Florida
The Winter Haven Police Department operates one drone as of 2019, according to data compiled by the Center for the Study of the Drone at Bard College.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Center for the Study of the Drone at Bard Collegewww.faa.govwww.mywinterhaven.com
The Winter Haven Police Department is one of more than 275 law enforcement agencies with access to the Face Analysis Comparison & Examination System (FACES), a face recognition program maintained by the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office. Investigators may upload an image to search more than 25-million Florida driver's license photos and mugshots.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Orlando SentinelCenter on Privacy & Technology at Georgetown LawPinellas County Sheriff's Office
Davenport Police Department
$25,000 is allocated in 2020 for automatic license plate reader in the FY 2019 city adopted budget.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Davenport City Council
Auburndale Police Department
The Auburndale Police Department is one of more than 275 law enforcement agencies with access to the Face Analysis Comparison & Examination System (FACES), a face recognition program maintained by the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office. Investigators may upload an image to search more than 25-million Florida driver's license photos and mugshots.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Orlando SentinelCenter on Privacy & Technology at Georgetown LawPinellas County Sheriff's Office
Bartow Police Department
The Bartow Police Department is one of more than 275 law enforcement agencies with access to the Face Analysis Comparison & Examination System (FACES), a face recognition program maintained by the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office. Investigators may upload an image to search more than 25-million Florida driver's license photos and mugshots.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Orlando SentinelCenter on Privacy & Technology at Georgetown LawPinellas County Sheriff's Office
Lake Wales Police Department
The Lake Wales Police Department is one of more than 275 law enforcement agencies with access to the Face Analysis Comparison & Examination System (FACES), a face recognition program maintained by the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office. Investigators may upload an image to search more than 25-million Florida driver's license photos and mugshots.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Orlando SentinelCenter on Privacy & Technology at Georgetown LawPinellas County Sheriff's Office
Source: EFF Atlas of Surveillance (Electronic Frontier Foundation & University of Nevada, Reno — Reynolds School of Journalism) · CC BY 4.0 · retrieved July 2026