Map Shows 149 Cities Pushing Back Against Flock Cameras

A map reveals that 149 cities, counties and local governments in the United States are abandoning Flock Safety's automated license plate reader cameras. The map illustrates the locations of cities and entities that have canceled contracts, rejected proposed deployments or deactivated existing cameras, highlighting a growing debate over privacy, police oversight and vehicle-location data collection.

While Flock has experienced rapid growth in the public safety technology sector, concerns over data usage, accessibility, and Constitutional protections have sparked resistance, affecting various political affiliations. Tempe, Arizona, announced the permanent deactivation of its Flock ALPR system, deeming surveillance had solved crimes but acknowledged growing concerns nationwide.

The city stated no misuse of their own data was found, with previously collected information generally deleted after 30 days unless tied to an active case. Similar decisions have been made in Stow, Massachusetts, where police canceled contracts after an officer was accused of unauthorized access. Flock's cameras record license plate info, along with vehicle characteristics and upload it to the company's database for police investigations.

The backlash against Flock has intensified due to controversies, including a Texas officer indicted for improper data access, and a Massachusetts officer resigning amid an investigation of unauthorized searches. Legislation has been introduced in Congress and state legislatures, limiting federal funding and data retention for Flock cameras.

Civil-liberties groups argue that misuse cases raise broader concerns about police access to vehicle-location databases, while Flock CEO Garrett Langley acknowledged calls for accountability and introduced new auditing tools and safeguards.