Flock license plate cameras

I've noticed these Flock cameras all over Alachua county. These black poles with a camera and solar panel just appeared, and I'm not finding any information on them in the local press. They are license plate cameras that are recording the movement of vehicles and are used by the police to track criminal activity.

This seems like a large increase in police surveillance. Do we know how all this data is being used? Tracking everyone just using public roads seems excessive to me. Can this system be abused?

I understand that they might be extremely useful to law enforcement. But at what cost?