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.
41 articles · page 1 of 3 · RSS
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Cops left the force. They kept tracking people with a powerful camera network.
yahoo.com
A Washington Post investigation documented at least 11 incidents in which unauthorized users accessed Flock license plate reader databases, including former officers whose log-ins were never deactivated and officers who shared credentials across agencies. Several cases involved tracking spouses or ex-partners, leading to criminal charges in Georgia and Indianapolis. Former employees said Flock resisted requiring multi-factor authentication to avoid friction in winning police contracts.
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Cops Warned to Look for ‘Suspicious Behavior’ From People Opposing Flock at City Council Meetings
404media.co
A July bulletin from the Orange County Intelligence Assessment Center, obtained through a public records request, told California police that city council meetings about Flock cameras could be seen as a target by extremists while stating no specific or credible threats were found. The document listed large turnout, emotional confrontations, media presence, and social media amplification among potential public safety risks.
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Fullerton Council Votes 3–1 to Switch Off Flock License Plate Cameras for Six Months
fullertonobserver.com
The Fullerton City Council voted 3-1 to suspend the city's 19 Flock Safety license plate cameras for six months while it holds a town hall and reviews police ALPR policy. Police Chief Jon Radus said the program costs about $51,000 a year, retains images 30 days, and gives 135 personnel accounts, but the department has not formally tracked how often Flock contributed to solved cases.
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Lansing mayor pressured to pull the plug on Flock cameras
gandernewsroom.com
Five weeks after the Lansing City Council voted 7-1 on a non-binding resolution asking Mayor Andy Schor to end the city's Flock Safety contract, the 26 license plate cameras remain active. Schor's office says the city is locked in for another year and a half, declined to release the contract, and would not say whether it includes a termination fee. A council member has requested a legal opinion on banning the technology outright.
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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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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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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 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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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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Santa Rosa police chief faces packed house over controversial Flock cameras
yahoo.com
Santa Rosa Police Chief John Cregan held a forum attended by 400 to 500 people about the department's 143 Flock license plate reader cameras. Residents objected to contract terms granting Flock a perpetual license to the data and said outside agencies searched Santa Rosa data about 486,000 times a month versus roughly 5,000 local searches. Cregan said procedures had already been modified.
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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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Sheboygan votes to end Flock contract amid data concerns
wbay.com
The Sheboygan Common Council voted unanimously to end the city's contract with Flock Safety, effective at year's end, after officials said they found contract violations related to data management and sharing. The city had already covered its 15 cameras in August. Racine County, Fond du Lac County, Manitowoc, Kenosha and Winnebago County have also paused or ended agreements, while Milwaukee tightened access policies and launched transparency portals.
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New Bedford Councilor Burgo Moves To End Current Plate-Reader Contract
newbedfordguide.com
Councilor-at-Large Shane Burgo has proposed an ordinance letting New Bedford's automated license plate reader agreement expire and barring purchases, renewals, or expansions of mass location-tracking tools without a council hearing, published privacy study, data rules, and vote. The draft would disclose camera sites, generally require a warrant or case number for searches, ban data sales and most federal or out-of-state sharing, and mandate annual audits. Police suspended the Flock system in August during an audit and misconduct investigations.
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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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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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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.