Flock Safety is introducing mandatory safeguards for its license-plate-reader cameras following reports of police misuse and city contract cancellations.
These measures address a growing public backlash over privacy violations. The updates aim to prevent law enforcement from using surveillance tools for personal or unauthorized purposes, a trend that has led some cities to drop their contracts.
Garrett Langley, CEO of Flock Safety, said the company decided to act because they expected state and local governments to mandate stronger controls themselves, but the company needed to act faster. The company operates a network of roughly 120,000 cameras [2].
Recent reports highlight significant abuses of the technology. In Georgia, nine officers were fired after an audit tool flagged misuse of the system [1]. Other incidents include reports of officers in New Bedford, Massachusetts, using the cameras to track personal contacts, or target immigrants [1, 5].
To combat these issues, Flock is converting previously optional safeguards into mandatory features for all users [4]. These updates are scheduled to take effect by January 2027 [3, 4].
Langley has previously addressed the balance between surveillance and privacy. In a recent discussion, he said that a data retention period of seven days is sufficient to solve 90% of crimes [6]. This suggests the company believes shorter data windows can maintain public safety while reducing the risk of long-term surveillance abuse.
The shift comes as the company faces increasing pressure from privacy advocates and municipal leaders. By mandating oversight tools, Flock seeks to stabilize its relationship with city governments and prevent further contract terminations.
“"We expected state and local governments to mandate stronger controls themselves, but we decided we needed to act faster."”
The transition from optional to mandatory safeguards indicates that self-regulation by local police departments has failed to prevent the weaponization of surveillance data. By embedding oversight into the software itself, Flock Safety is attempting to shift the burden of compliance from the user to the provider to preserve its market viability amidst a growing privacy backlash.
