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.
138 articles · page 2 of 7 · RSS
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Former Lufkin officer pleads to 5 years for 100 counts related to Flock camera misuse
kbtx.com
Former Lufkin, Texas officer Zachary Klein was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to 100 counts of misuse of official information. Prosecutors said investigators found more than 25,000 improper database searches targeting his former girlfriend, her relatives, and people she had dated. The inquiry began after USA Today questioned the department, which then ran a Flock audit. Lufkin's use of Flock cameras remains suspended.
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Local ACLU Foundation sues city of San Diego, police department over use of Flock cameras
kpbs.org
The ACLU Foundation of San Diego and Imperial Counties, representing the Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans, sued the city and its police department over Flock Safety license plate readers, arguing they violate the California constitution's privacy guarantee. The suit seeks removal of the cameras and deletion of collected data. The article notes SDPD halted federal data sharing in 2025 after guidance from the state attorney general.
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California communities rethink Flock cameras over privacy concerns
spectrumlocalnews.com
Advocacy group DeFlock Sac Metro is campaigning against automated license plate readers in the Sacramento area, and Folsom is discontinuing its Flock contract while continuing to use Motorola plate readers. Secure Justice counts at least 19 California communities and more than 200 nationwide dropping Flock since 2021. Stockton heard that an officer was dismissed for misusing its Flock system. Flock cited new safeguards including seven-day default retention, and a University of South Carolina study found ALPRs cut vehicle thefts by 11%.
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FDOT deadline arrives for removal of Flock cameras from state roads
mynews13.com
The Florida Department of Transportation revoked permits for license plate readers on state road rights of way on Aug. 31, setting a Sept. 30 removal deadline, citing misuse, data privacy and surveillance concerns. Several Central Florida sheriff's offices reported removing or deactivating Flock cameras, and Osceola County canceled its Flock contract. Sumter County had already suspended its system after discovering misuse by an employee.
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South Lyon ends Flock Safety contract, orders cameras covered
clickondetroit.com
The South Lyon, Michigan City Council voted 5-2 to reject renewing the city's contract with Flock Safety, directed police to stop using the automated license plate readers immediately, and ordered the camera lenses covered until the equipment is removed. South Lyon joins Ferndale, Westland and Independence Township in ending agreements with the company amid regional debate over data collection and retention policies.
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Flock cameras and privacy concerns: Where Minnesota communities stand
fox9.com
FOX 9 compiles decisions by Minnesota communities on Flock Safety license plate readers. Columbia Heights, Crystal, Duluth, North Branch, Fridley, and others have canceled, paused, or declined to renew contracts, and the University of Minnesota removed a camera after community objections. Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher defends the technology, citing declines in carjackings. State law requires ALPR data destruction within 60 days absent an active investigation.
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Newburgh City Council votes to end Flock contract
wamc.org
The Newburgh City Council voted Monday to end the city's contract with Flock Safety and discontinue routine use of its license plate readers within 14 days. Audit logs posted on the city website showed the data was accessed thousands of times by agencies nationwide, including a 2025 Texas police search referencing a woman who had an abortion. Reports of officers misusing the cameras preceded the vote.
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Roseburg residents voice Flock concerns at City Council Meeting
nbc16.com
Residents at a Roseburg, Oregon city council meeting raised privacy and plate-misread concerns about the city's Flock cameras during public comment. The council postponed a planned Roseburg Police Department presentation on the system, which stated that data is shared only with Oregon Flock partners and access is limited to department personnel. The city authorized its Flock contract in 2023 and renewed it this year for 15 cameras through 2028.
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SF Keeps Flock Cameras After 1.6M Illegal Queries: New Rules Weaker Than Company Standard
techtimes.com
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie imposed new rules on the city's roughly 500 Flock cameras, cutting vendor data retention from 12 months to 30 days, four times longer than Flock's own new seven-day default. The city kept its contract despite 1.6 million out-of-state queries of SFPD's database. Assemblymember Matt Haney plans a bill criminalizing ALPR misuse, which California law currently does not penalize.
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Flock’s nationwide surveillance network faces mounting scrutiny
biometricupdate.com
A US Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing examined Flock Safety's ALPR network after the company told investigators it conducts little oversight of customer searches and that some cameras can search images for people. Indiana prosecutors charged officers over thousands of personal lookups, Boston reported that a vendor error exposed its data externally, and a Florida woman testified she spent 13 days in jail after investigators relied on a Flock image.
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City Council passes temporary ordinance continuing Flock shutdown
newbedfordlight.org
The New Bedford City Council voted 8-3 for a temporary ordinance barring license plate reader use and blocking renewal of the city's Flock contract, which expires Nov. 12. Cameras have been off since August after two officers were accused of using them to track romantic partners. Police Chief Jason Thody sent an 11-page response backing audits, retention limits, and public reporting while opposing disclosure of camera locations.
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Columbus City Council will not introduce legislation on Flock cameras by end of September
wosu.org
Columbus City Council Member Emmanuel Remy said he will miss his stated goal of introducing legislation on Flock Safety license plate readers by the end of September, giving no new date. Mayor Andrew Ginther had paused use of the city's 65 Flock cameras after a police officer allegedly searched the same plate more than 200 times outside any investigation. Remy said the eventual package will cover surveillance technology broadly, and several council members oppose renewing the contract in December.
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Watsonville City Council limits Flock cameras
pajaronian.com
The Watsonville City Council voted 4-3 to remove 17 of its 37 Flock cameras, cut data retention from 30 days to seven and end sharing with other California police agencies. The city will also commission a third-party audit and hold a town hall. Police said Flock assisted in 894 cases, though the chief estimated about six were primarily solved with it. Monterey County voted the same day to remove its 63 cameras.
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At least 900 Flock cameras have been unplugged in Texas since state funding was cut
keranews.org
At least 14 Texas cities and counties have shut off more than 900 Flock cameras after Gov. Greg Abbott blocked state grant money in late August. Laredo will put a nonbinding referendum on keeping 165 cameras to voters in May. Pflugerville and Hutto ended contracts after learning hundreds of outside agencies had accessed their camera data.
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Five Indianapolis police officers charged for misusing Flock cameras
indianapublicradio.org
Marion County prosecutors charged five Indianapolis Metropolitan Police officers with fraud and official misconduct over thousands of allegedly impermissible Flock license plate searches, including searches for ex-partners and women one officer pursued. The misuse surfaced after an officer self-reported and an audit followed. IMPD now requires case numbers and crime codes for searches but will not reduce its 301 leased cameras.
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Flock data-sharing suit likely headed back to state court
courthousenews.com
U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria said he was inclined to find that California drivers suing Flock lack Article III standing, but also indicated he would likely remand the consolidated cases to state court. Plaintiffs argue Flock let out-of-state agencies search local ALPR databases, citing 1.6 million searches of San Francisco police data between August 2024 and February 2025, in violation of the 2015 California ALPR Privacy Act.
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Always Watching: Congress Begins Investigating Flock Cameras
dailysignal.com
A Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing chaired by Sen. Josh Hawley examined the roughly 120,000 Flock Safety cameras operating nationwide, which capture over 20 billion images monthly. CEOs of Flock, Axon, Motorola Solutions, and Verkada declined to testify. A witness, Lindsey Isaacs, described being jailed 13 days after being wrongly accused of murder based on Flock footage. Senators discussed retention limits and a possible warrant requirement.
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Flock Wants the Most Detailed Map of Its Surveillance Cameras Taken Offline
theintercept.com
A cybersecurity researcher published a map showing more than 170,000 Flock cameras and about 130,000 related devices, roughly 300,000 units total, far above the 120,000 Flock cited publicly. The locations came from an unauthenticated access token that exposed Flock's ArcGIS records in late 2025. Flock has said it never had a data breach, and a firm acting for the company has demanded the map be taken down.
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Plymouth is latest Minnesota city to ditch Flock cameras
mprnews.org
The Plymouth, Minnesota city council voted to end use of the city's 16 Flock license plate reader cameras, with only the mayor dissenting. Council members cited concerns that agencies outside Plymouth could access the data, referencing reporting that federal agencies obtained Minnesota Flock data for immigration enforcement and that about 50 officers nationally were accused of misuse. Plymouth joins more than a dozen Minnesota jurisdictions pausing or ending Flock use.
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Three takeaways from the Senate hearing on Flock's camera network
yahoo.com
A Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing on Flock Safety heard from five witnesses, including a Florida woman jailed for 13 days after a camera image linked her SUV to a fatal crash. Testimony described more than 240 catalogued ALPR misuse incidents, unaudited searches in Norfolk, exposed camera administrative interfaces, and federal agents obtaining data through local officers. No company representative testified; Flock's CEO sent a letter instead.