REP. Boebert: Surveillance on Every Corner is NOT Freedom

September 1, 2026 Press Release WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Lauren Boebert (R-CO) today published an op-ed in The Daily Caller marking the approaching 25th anniversary of September 11 and warning that networks of fixed automatic license plate readers are turning American streets into zones of constant, warrantless monitoring. In the piece, titled “Surveillance On Every Corner Is Not Freedom,” Boebert writes as a Coloradan, mother, and grandmother that these systems continuously scan and log plates, times, locations, and travel patterns—often without clear statutory limits, democratic consent, or individualized suspicion. “Since September 11, 2001, Americans have been asked repeatedly to trade pieces of liberty for promises of security,” Boebert writes . “The justification was almost always the same: ‘If you’re innocent, you have nothing to worry about.’ That phrase has become the soft rationalization for hard erosions of privacy.” Rep. Boebert stands firmly with law enforcement and the men and women who wear the badge. She notes that targeted, warrant-based use of license plate data can help officers solve crimes and protect the public. What must be rejected is the quiet acceptance of fixed, always-on camera networks that treat every driver as a potential subject whose movements must be logged “just in case.” She cites the expansion of similar surveillance tools in Hong Kong during the 2019–2020 protests as a cautionary example and calls for action before such systems become fully entrenched in the United States. Boebert outlines concrete steps: restrict federal grant funding that can be used to buy these camera networks, require warrants, limit data retention, ban the commercial sale of the information, and educate the public.“ I stand with law enforcement. I stand with the Constitution,” she writes. “We can protect public safety without surrendering the right to live unmonitored lives. That balance is not only possible—it is essential if liberty is to mean anything for the next generation.” The full op-ed is available at The Daily Caller