At Least 10 Local Governments Move to Drop Flock Cameras

At least 10 local governments and police departments have moved since summer to curb, restrict or end their use of Flock Safety surveillance technology, according to TechCrunch. The decisions come amid concerns about mass surveillance, data privacy and how information is shared.

In the past three months, Monroe, Ohio; Newburgh, New York; Richmond, Virginia; Hopkinton and New Bedford, Massachusetts; and Lansing, Michigan, moved to end contracts with Flock. Police in East Bridgewater and Grafton, Massachusetts, also announced plans to stop using its cameras. League City, Texas, residents voted this week against continued use of Flock license plate readers, which are set to be removed. Asheville, North Carolina, ended its contract in August, and El Paso County, Colorado, announced in September that its sheriff’s office would stop using the cameras. South Windsor, Connecticut, voted in October to remove cameras that had gone live the previous year without public warning or a vote.

Flock, founded in 2017, sells license plate readers, drones and microphone-based devices that can detect gunshots and other sounds. More than 100,000 Flock cameras are in use nationwide. The company says customers own their data and control how it is shared, and that it does not sell data or have a contract with ICE.

Critics cite privacy, procurement and misuse concerns. TechCrunch reported cases of officers accused or convicted of using Flock to stalk former partners. Flock said it shortened the default data-retention period for new customers from 30 days to seven and now requires agencies to enter a case code before searching its database. Some local governments are adding restrictions or seeking alternatives instead of ending use.