Topic
Flock Safety
The vendor Flock Safety specifically: its cameras, contracts, or conduct.
96 articles · page 2 of 5 · RSS
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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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Wisconsin’s Flock Fight Just Became a Fourth Amendment Case
pjmedia.com
The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty sued Waukesha County and 11 municipalities, asking a court to rule that police need a warrant before searching Flock Safety's vehicle location database. The complaint says Muskego police ran over 300 searches in one month while outside agencies ran more than 900,000 searches involving Muskego's nine cameras. Stevens Point suspended its cameras, and other municipalities are reconsidering 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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Oconomowoc Moves to Kill $18,000 Flock Camera Deal Amid Statewide Backlash
hoodline.com
Oconomowoc's Common Council is set to vote on cutting $18,000 from its budget, which would end the city's six Flock Safety license plate cameras after three years. The article compiles related Wisconsin developments: two former Milwaukee officers charged with using Flock to track ex-partners, a wrongful gunpoint stop caused by a stale alert, and contract terminations in Menasha, Stoughton, Sheboygan, and Fond du Lac County.
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Manvel City Council Votes Unanimously To End Flock Safety Contract
texasscorecard.com
Manvel, Texas council members voted 6-0 to cancel the city's Flock Safety contract and cover its 16 license plate reader cameras within 48 hours. Mayor Dan Davis said 535 outside agencies retained access to the city's camera network after 149 were cut. A Flock representative said camera data helps train the company's AI. Police reported 138 department searches in a monthly audit with no sign of misuse.
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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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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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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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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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Flock Safety Hit With Nationwide Class-Action Lawsuit Over Police Stalking
motorbiscuit.com
A federal class-action suit, Schulte v. Flock Group Inc., filed in Georgia, alleges Flock failed to safeguard its 120,000-camera license plate reader network against misuse by police. The complaint cites an investigation finding at least 50 officers accused of ALPR misuse, 46 involving Flock, and fired officers retaining access because multi-factor authentication was optional. Flock says it has now made MFA mandatory.
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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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Flock cameras draw opposition from across the political spectrum
mprnews.org
Opposition to Flock license plate readers is emerging as a bipartisan political issue ahead of the midterms. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro called for legislation banning them, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis moved to revoke permits on state highways, and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott froze state spending. Senate Republicans are investigating police misuse, and polling shows more Americans disapprove of the cameras than approve.
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Lynchburg City Council votes to end Flock Safety contract amid surveillance concerns
wsls.com
Lynchburg City Council voted 6-0 to direct the city manager to notify Flock Safety that the company's cameras will no longer operate in the city. Council members said staff could not confirm whether microphones as well as cameras would be removed, or give a removal date. The city may owe $35,000 for early termination, and a follow-up vote was scheduled. Cameras remain offline.
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A new bill reflects the bipartisan backlash against Flock-enabled mass surveillance
reason.com
Reps. Thomas Massie and Eric Burlison introduced the Flock-Off Act, which would bar federal funding of license plate readers except at the border or for toll enforcement, with cosponsors from both parties. A YouGov survey found 46 percent of respondents opposed police ALPR use, up from 33 percent a year earlier. The piece also notes Sen. Josh Hawley's investigation of Flock and the Institute for Justice count of 157 local governments canceling contracts.
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Reps. Massie, Burlison Introduce the "Flock-Off Act" to Defund Surveillance State Cameras
massie.house.gov
Representatives Thomas Massie and Eric Burlison introduced H.R. 10221, the Flock-Off Act, which would prohibit federal funds from purchasing, installing, maintaining, or operating automated license plate readers and biometric surveillance cameras. The bill would require removal of federally funded systems within 180 days, bar funding for related contracts, subscriptions, and data-sharing arrangements, and exempt border-area cameras and toll enforcement. Cosponsors include Boebert, Gosar, Khanna, Roy, and Spartz.
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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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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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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.