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.
30 articles · page 1 of 2 · RSS
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"I'm glad they are coming down": Excelsior Springs covers all 15 Flock cameras with trash bags
kshb.com
Excelsior Springs, Missouri covered all 15 of its Flock Safety cameras with trash bags one day after the City Council unanimously approved an ordinance cutting funding and directing termination of the contract within 30 days. Residents gathered more than 1,000 petition signatures opposing the cameras. Police Chief Gregory Dull said he was disappointed to lose a tool used to help crime victims and believed privacy safeguards were adequate.
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Milford Village Council votes 7-0 to remove Flock Safety license plate cameras after resident concerns
clickondetroit.com
The Village of Milford, Michigan, voted 7-0 not to renew its Flock Safety contract, removing its remaining 10 license plate cameras after an earlier June decision ended a contract for five others. Residents held weekly protests and gathered more than 600 petition signatures. The police chief said the cameras helped solve crimes but cited vendor responsiveness, outages, and vandalism as reasons to end the partnership.
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Oregon lawmakers could ban Flock, automated license plate reading cameras in 2027
klcc.org
Two Oregon legislators, a Portland Democrat and a Republican from Winston, plan to introduce a 2027 bill banning automated license plate readers, following Senate Bill 1516, which capped police retention at 30 days and let residents sue vendors. Law enforcement groups and a Flock spokesperson defend the technology, while the article notes misuse reports, a wrongful 13-day jailing in Florida, and actions in other states.
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Federal Judge Rules a Flock Search Was ‘Indiscriminate Mass Surveillance’ and Unconstitutional
404media.co
A federal judge in Oklahoma ruled that a deputy violated a driver's Fourth Amendment rights by searching her plate in Flock's license plate reader network solely because the car had California tags, then using the resulting month of travel records to justify a vehicle search. Judge Sara Hill called the network a form of indiscriminate mass surveillance and suppressed the evidence. Flock said it expects the non-binding ruling to be overturned.
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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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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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Local city council unanimously votes to end contract with Flock amid privacy concerns
dayton247now.com
Monroe, Ohio council members voted unanimously to terminate the city's Flock Safety contract and deactivate all 23 license plate reading cameras. The city had approved a two-year contract in 2024 at a cost of $149,950. Residents spoke on both sides, with some citing a digital dragnet and others arguing plates in public view carry no privacy expectation. Council members noted voters could restore the program later.
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City Council discusses affordable housing overhaul, introduces license plate reader ban
idsnews.com
The Bloomington City Council introduced Ordinance 2026-22, which would bar the city and its agents from acquiring or using automated license plate reader technology and from sharing surveillance camera data with third parties. The measure follows a March 2026 resolution on ALPR transparency, the city's April decision not to renew its Flock Safety contract after an investigation, and Monroe County's July termination of its own Flock contract. A vote is planned Oct. 14.
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Three More Cities End Flock Partnerships
seehafernews.com
Waukesha, Oconomowoc, and Racine each voted to end their contracts with Flock Safety's automated license plate reader program. Waukesha Police Chief Dan Thompson said the technology assists in solving crimes but that public trust and transparency matter as well. The report notes other departments in Wisconsin are reviewing privacy protections and vendor practices tied to automated camera systems.
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El Paso City Council to vote Tuesday on removing Flock cameras
kfoxtv.com
El Paso City Council is set to vote on directing the city manager to remove all Flock license plate reader cameras from city-controlled property within 60 days, and on a second item requiring council approval for any future ALPR contracts. The city's 150 cameras were funded by the state Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority, and the police department halted use after Gov. Greg Abbott ordered a funding pause amid misuse and privacy concerns.
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Liberty Hill City Council votes unanimously to end Flock Safety contract
cbsaustin.com
The Liberty Hill, Texas city council voted 7-0 to terminate its Flock Safety agreement, bar renewal in October, remove cameras under city jurisdiction and avoid future mass surveillance technology. Council members cited concerns over how license plate data is captured, stored and shared. Bastrop, Leander, Manor and Pflugerville have recently ended or moved to end Flock use, and Austin and San Marcos stopped in 2025.
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Bastrop City Council votes to terminate Flock contract, prevent similar cameras in the future
kbtx.com
Bastrop, Texas, city council voted to immediately end its contract with Flock Safety and to bar future automated license plate reader contracts in the city. Residents had pushed for removal after the cameras were covered the prior week. The report notes Texas Gov. Greg Abbott paused funding for the cameras and Sen. Lois Kolkhorst called for a ban, with College Station scheduled to vote September 24.
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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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Tribune editorial: Salt Lake City should have strict privacy rules for license plate readers
sltrib.com
The Salt Lake Tribune editorial board argues that Salt Lake City should adopt strict privacy rules for automated license plate readers, writing that such surveillance is only tolerable if the public can closely watch the watchers. The piece frames oversight and accountability as conditions for the city's use of the technology.
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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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The debate around Flock cameras intensifies in Sonoma County
sebastopoltimes.com
A Penngrove resident's petition demanding removal of Flock license plate cameras in Sonoma County gathered 214 signatures, citing surveillance and data-sharing concerns. A Sebastopol councilmember opposed the cameras, referencing ICE. A Sheriff's Department spokesperson said data is kept 30 days, is not linked to the DMV, involves no facial recognition, and is audited, crediting the cameras with aiding three homicide investigations in fiscal year 2025-26.
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Flock camera vandals say privacy reforms aren’t enough: ‘The changes are bull----’
nbcnews.com
Flock Safety announced reforms on Aug. 13, including shorter data retention and new oversight, following a wave of activist vandalism against its nationwide network of surveillance cameras. Activists targeting the cameras say the changes do not address their concerns. The report notes that some communities have persuaded local governments to cancel Flock contracts while others renew each year.
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Flock camera sabotage grows amid privacy concerns
youtu.be
According to the video description, cities across the country are unplugging Flock cameras used to record traffic and other violations as privacy concerns grow. The segment, reported by Jason Allen for CBS Evening News, also refers to sabotage of the camera units. No further detail is available in the posted text.
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Flock Has a Powerful New AI Tool for Police. We Got Its Code
wired.com
WIRED reconstructed code Flock Safety served from its own login pages, describing an AI tool called OS Investigate that ships with 69 prewritten prompts and 45 data tools. The prompts let officers find drivers by movement patterns, identify vehicle associates, and search by physical description, drawing on plate scans, arrest records, dispatch logs, and commercial identity databases. Flock says the product is still in development.
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Fight Creepy ALPR Cameras ("Get The Flock Out")
aclu.org
The ACLU's campaign page against ALPR deployment, with an organizing toolkit for residents seeking to end local contracts. It puts the Flock network at roughly 120,000 cameras, states that fewer than one percent of scanned vehicles connect to a crime, and catalogs uses by federal immigration agents and against critics of police departments.