Topic
Data sharing
Local data flowing to other agencies, states, federal partners, or private firms.
52 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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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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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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Kyle Council Rejects Flock Contract Termination, Sets Up 2027 Ballot Fight
hoodline.com
Kyle, Texas councilmembers voted 6-1 against terminating the city's three Flock Safety contracts, then voted 4-3 to cover the cameras pending a nonbinding May 2027 ballot question. The city lost a $205,000 state grant after Texas rescinded Flock funding, and at least 14 Texas jurisdictions shut off over 900 cameras. Police reported no misuse complaints; a 2025 Austin audit flagged contract terms permitting outside agency data access.
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Fayetteville City Council approves ban on automatic license plate readers
nwaonline.com
The Fayetteville, Arkansas city council voted 7-0 to adopt an ordinance prohibiting the purchase and use of automated license plate readers, a preemptive measure since the police department owns none. The police chief said he would prefer safeguards over a ban, citing security, accuracy and misuse problems. Researchers on a panel described federal "side door access" to shared ALPR databases and inconsistent retention and sharing rules across states.
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We Demand More Information on How Marin Cops Illegally Shared Flock ALPR Data
eff.org
EFF and the ACLU of Northern California sent the Marin County Sheriff's Office a demand letter and public records request after the Point Reyes Light reported that the agency gave non-California agencies access to its Flock ALPR database, including 254,131 shared searches in November 2024. The groups say this violates SB 34, SB 54, and the 2022 Lagleva settlement, and they seek an audit and penalties.
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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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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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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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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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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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County supervisors vote to take down all sheriff's Flock cameras
montereycountynow.com
Monterey County supervisors voted 3-2 to decline a proposed $1.7 million, 10-year Flock Safety contract and directed the Sheriff's Office to end access to 63 cameras and remove them within 60 days. Deputies had queried the system nearly 20,000 times in a year, with an estimated 500,000 queries by partner agencies. Officials cited earlier improper out-of-state access; the sheriff and district attorney defended the technology.
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Hutto City Council votes to end use of Flock Safety license plate readers
communityimpact.com
Hutto City Council voted unanimously on Sept. 18 to discontinue the police department's use of 10 Flock Safety license plate reader cameras, which were taken down before the vote. City staff cited concerns that partner agencies accessing the data are not bound by Hutto Police Department policies, along with questions about artificial intelligence developments. Nearby Pflugerville, Bastrop, Liberty Hill and Leander also recently ended Flock use.