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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Sterling Heights leaders weigh future of Flock Safety cameras amid privacy concerns
clickondetroit.com
Sterling Heights, Michigan, council members debated renewing a Flock Safety contract covering 23 cameras at 19 locations, costing just over $84,000 a year and paid for with state criminal forfeiture funds. Police cited monthly audits, a 30-day retention period, 362 searches in the prior month, and solved robberies and an attempted homicide. Residents cited alleged Flock policy violations in Eastpointe and Oakland County. The council voted 4-3 to renew.
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Mill Valley Kills Flock Cameras After Residents Cry Foul Over Data Sharing
hoodline.com
Mill Valley switched off its six Flock license plate readers and two live-feed cameras on Sept. 9 after residents questioned data sharing logged under an "other" category. City officials sought binding terms on data ownership and resale, calling Flock's assurances insufficient after the company revised its terms of use. The report notes conflicting retention figures and similar contract cancellations across Marin and other jurisdictions.
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South Windsor Pulls Plug On Flock Cameras After 6-3 Council Vote
hoodline.com
South Windsor, Connecticut's Town Council voted 6-3 to end its Flock Safety contract and remove eight license plate readers within 60 days, with collected data to be purged. No resident spoke in favor at the public hearing. The police chief said the system aided more than 100 arrests. Other Connecticut towns including Windsor, Killingworth and East Lyme have also paused or ended Flock use.
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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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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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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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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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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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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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Monroe Kills Flock Safety Contract, Shuts Down All 23 License-Plate Cameras
hoodline.com
Monroe's city council voted unanimously to end its Flock Safety contract, switching off all 23 license-plate-reading cameras. Aggregated reporting says more than 50 agencies or communities have canceled, suspended, or rejected Flock contracts since the start of 2026, and Flock now recommends seven-day data retention plus tools to flag abusive searches. Ohio has no statewide ALPR retention or audit rules.
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BREAKING: County Board votes to end Arlington’s use of Flock cameras
arlnow.com
The Arlington County Board voted to discontinue use of 41 county-leased Flock Safety devices, 26 license plate readers and 15 pan-tilt-zoom cameras, and to begin removing the equipment within 14 business days. Data not tied to active investigations will be deleted. The program, costing $106,250 plus a $93,000 annual fee, was never formally presented to the Board and drew resident-led opposition campaigns.
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Pa. lawmakers eye limits, outright ban on Flock cameras as they prepare for fall return
witf.org
Pennsylvania lawmakers from both parties have introduced at least nine bills to restrict or ban automated license plate readers, seven of them within six weeks, and both candidates for governor oppose the cameras. Proposals range from an outright ban to warrant requirements and local opt-outs. The Department of General Services is removing Flock from the COSTARS state contracting portal, while police chiefs and district attorneys oppose a blanket ban.
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Lebanon shuts off Flock cameras after company fails to reply to letter with concerns
wvxu.org
Lebanon, Ohio, council voted to immediately shut off and cover 20 Flock Safety license plate readers after the company did not answer a mayoral letter containing 54 questions about data retention and access within 21 days. Officials cited Mountain View's discovery of a changed nationwide search setting and a reported offer to sell five years of data to Sheboygan, Wisconsin. A motion to terminate the contract failed 4-3.
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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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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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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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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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Residents voice concerns over Flock cameras at Santa Rosa Community Advisory Board Meeting
northbayvanguard.com
At a July 22 Community Advisory Board meeting, Santa Rosa Police Chief John Cregan presented on Flock cameras and ALPRs, and residents alongside the North Bay Organizing Project questioned auditing of outside agency searches, data retention, and crime-prevention metrics. The department says data is kept 30 days and not shared federally. Over 730,000 plate reads were logged in 30 days, with more than 300 California agencies granted access.
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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.