Articles
What the Flock?
An index of reporting, court records, and public filings showing what happens beyond Flock's public-safety claims. These are the documented problems, mistakes, and abuses that can be easy to miss when the story comes only from the vendor or the agencies using the cameras.
33 articles · page 1 of 2 · RSS
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TODAY: US Senate hearing follows our investigations exposing police Flock abuse
atlantanewsfirst.com
The Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism scheduled a hearing titled "Always Watching: Flock's Nationwide AI Surveillance Network," inviting the CEOs of Flock Safety, Axon, Motorola Solutions and Verkada. The hearing follows reporting by Brendan Keefe documenting at least 19 Georgia cases in one year of officers arrested or relieved of duty for personal use of ALPR data, and Flock's removal of officer names and plate numbers from network audit logs.
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Texas freezes installation of Flock cameras along state roads
kvia.com
The Texas Department of Transportation stopped issuing permits for Flock cameras and other license plate readers along state roads at Gov. Greg Abbott's direction, a pause that does not remove existing devices, including more than 900 operated by the Department of Public Safety. The move followed Abbott's funding freeze after a Tribune investigation into $30 million directed toward over 3,200 cameras. Florida ordered removals in August.
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Sen. Wyden presses Flock CEO over allegations of surveillance platform abuse
ktvz.com
Senators Ron Wyden and Adam Schiff sent a letter to Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langley demanding answers about unauthorized use of the company's license plate reader network, including tracking of reproductive health travel and warrantless immigration searches. The letter cites a Washington Post analysis finding at least 50 officers charged or accused of misusing the system, and instructs Flock to preserve records.
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Boston drivers’ data left unsecured during Flock pilot due to vendor ‘error,’ city officials say
boston.com
Boston's 2025 annual surveillance report states that three days into a 45-camera Flock pilot, police found the nationwide data-sharing feature had been enabled by the vendor in error despite a contract barring sharing. BPD ordered it disabled and says it will not use Flock again. The report logged 15 watchlist requests, 12 approved, and no internal misuse complaints. More than 20 Massachusetts communities have ended or suspended Flock contracts.
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Toledo council to unveil plan to audit Flock camera system
13abc.com
Toledo City Council members plan to introduce legislation calling for an audit of the city's more than 100 Flock license plate reader cameras. Councilman Mac Driscoll wants the system paused during the review, citing resident concerns about data use, while Councilman John Hobbs III argues it should keep running absent proof of local misuse. No improper searches have been reported in Toledo or Lucas County.
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Oconomowoc Moves to Kill $18,000 Flock Camera Deal Amid Statewide Backlash
hoodline.com
Oconomowoc's Common Council is set to vote on cutting $18,000 from its budget, which would end the city's six Flock Safety license plate cameras after three years. The article compiles related Wisconsin developments: two former Milwaukee officers charged with using Flock to track ex-partners, a wrongful gunpoint stop caused by a stale alert, and contract terminations in Menasha, Stoughton, Sheboygan, and Fond du Lac County.
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Flock worker calls police on ANF chief investigator filming public camera installation
walb.com
Atlanta News First reported that a Flock Safety installer called 911 after investigative reporter Brendan Keefe filmed a camera being upgraded on a public street in Milton, Georgia, leading to a 17-minute traffic stop by three police units. A separate June call brought police to YouTube creators filming outside a Flock distribution center. Flock said staff may contact police over safety concerns and barred media from its customer conference.
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Flock Safety Hit With Nationwide Class-Action Lawsuit Over Police Stalking
motorbiscuit.com
A federal class-action suit, Schulte v. Flock Group Inc., filed in Georgia, alleges Flock failed to safeguard its 120,000-camera license plate reader network against misuse by police. The complaint cites an investigation finding at least 50 officers accused of ALPR misuse, 46 involving Flock, and fired officers retaining access because multi-factor authentication was optional. Flock says it has now made MFA mandatory.
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Editorial: More cops are accused of misusing Flock cameras. This is becoming too much like Big Brother
timesleader.com
A Chicago Tribune editorial cites reviews in West Chicago and Itasca after officers allegedly used Flock for unauthorized purposes, and an officer accused of hundreds of searches of former partners. It notes Washington Post reporting that at least 50 officers have been charged or accused of misusing ALPRs, describes Flock's shortened seven-day default retention, and lists Illinois municipalities ending or suspending contracts.
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Flock cameras draw opposition from across the political spectrum
mprnews.org
Opposition to Flock license plate readers is emerging as a bipartisan political issue ahead of the midterms. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro called for legislation banning them, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis moved to revoke permits on state highways, and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott froze state spending. Senate Republicans are investigating police misuse, and polling shows more Americans disapprove of the cameras than approve.
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A new bill reflects the bipartisan backlash against Flock-enabled mass surveillance
reason.com
Reps. Thomas Massie and Eric Burlison introduced the Flock-Off Act, which would bar federal funding of license plate readers except at the border or for toll enforcement, with cosponsors from both parties. A YouGov survey found 46 percent of respondents opposed police ALPR use, up from 33 percent a year earlier. The piece also notes Sen. Josh Hawley's investigation of Flock and the Institute for Justice count of 157 local governments canceling contracts.
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Ex-Indiana deputy charged with felony for allegedly using Flock cameras to stalk girlfriend
foxnews.com
Former Jackson County, Indiana sheriff's deputy Skylar Thompson was charged with official misconduct and fraud after an internal audit found he ran more than 2,000 Flock license plate searches on his girlfriend's vehicle between December 2025 and August, logging them as city planning or traffic analysis work he was never assigned. He resigned and turned himself in. Flock defended its technology as a public safety tool.
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Former Jackson County deputy accused of making more than 2,000 unauthorized Flock searches
wdrbwave.com
A former Jackson County, Indiana sheriff's deputy, Skylar Thompson, was charged with official misconduct and fraud after a routine audit of the agency's Flock camera system found he searched the same license plate 2,055 times between December 2025 and August 2026. The affidavit says he listed "city planning/traffic analysis" as his reason despite never holding those duties. Indiana State Police investigated.
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Florida bans Flock cameras and other license plate readers from state highways
nbcnews.com
Florida's Department of Transportation revoked all prior approvals for license plate readers in state highway rights-of-way, citing a rapid increase in deployments plus reports of misuse and data privacy concerns. The order does not cover private property or local rights-of-way, where officials say 98% of cameras sit, though the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office ended its program anyway. Flock said a ban was the wrong response and cited recent cases solved.
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Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley launches investigation into Flock Safety data usage
kcur.org
Sen. Josh Hawley, chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism, sent a letter to Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langley demanding documents on data safeguards by Sept. 8. Hawley cited a St. Charles County officer who ran Flock searches for personal reasons, plus alleged abuse in Wisconsin, Florida and California. He noted Flock reports more than 120,000 cameras and 20 billion monthly vehicle scans.
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Flock contract cancellations grow among cities, other jurisdictions
thehill.com
Tempe and Cave Creek, Arizona, terminated their Flock Safety license plate reader contracts, joining more than 90 jurisdictions tracked by DeFlock that have cancelled or rejected the technology. Officials cited high-profile misuse cases, including a Washington Post finding that over 50 officers were accused of improper ALPR searches. Senator Josh Hawley opened an investigation, and Flock announced new audit and lockout features.
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New records detail Arizona Flock camera misuse...
youtube.com
Apache Junction Police internal affairs records detail how former Officer Joshua McDaniel admitted using Flock camera data to search for his wife’s license plate during marital troubles.
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Stow police cut ties with Flock Safety after officer allegedly used cameras to track someone he knows
boston.com
An internal affairs investigation found Stow, Massachusetts officer Jason Rogers ran vehicle searches through Flock Safety multiple times in 2024 and 2025 with no legitimate law enforcement purpose and queried the state criminal records database at least five times improperly. Rogers was placed on unpaid leave and faces criminal charges and termination proceedings. The chief ended the department's Flock contract, with the last camera removed in early August.
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Flock Safety overhauls rules following ANF investigations
atlantanewsfirst.com
Flock Safety announced it is cutting its default license plate data retention recommendation from 30 days to seven, adding an "evidence mode" cold storage option for active investigations. The company will require its machine learning audit tool, proactive account lockouts for abnormal search behavior, mandatory case codes, and multi-factor authentication. The changes follow reporting on more than a dozen officers disciplined or arrested for personal misuse, including stalking partners.
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Despite 'New' Updates, Flock's Creepy Cameras Remain Major Civil Liberties Threat
aclu.org
The ACLU assesses Flock Safety's announced operational changes, including a reduction in default data retention from 30 days to seven days with an "Evidence Mode" exception, local control over which offenses other agencies may search for, mandatory search reasons, and wider rollout of an audit tool. It argues most measures repeat earlier interventions that officers circumvented and that the audit tool has never been independently evaluated.