A College Told Flock to Remove Its Cameras. The Company Refused.
The Chicago Sun-Times reports: When Elgin Community College hired Flock Safety to install six surveillance cameras in April 2025, President Peggy Heinrich thought they would "enhance the safety and security of students...." They were supposed to help locate stolen cars and missing people. But Heinrich started to wonder if the cameras were actually making students less safe after seeing news…
When Elgin Community College decided to install surveillance cameras in April 2025, President Peggy Heinrich believed they would improve student safety. However, concerns arose when it was discovered that data from Flock cameras in Illinois had been shared with U.S. Customs and Border Protection. In September 2025, a student was detained by ICE in a campus parking lot, leading to a decline in student enrollment due to fear of coming to class.
College officials requested Flock to remove the cameras out of caution for their students. Despite this, Flock refused to uninstall the equipment, citing that they had not breached their agreement. Even after Heinrich offered to pay for the remaining five months of the contract, Flock remained uncooperative. The college staff eventually covered the cameras with black trash bags and zip ties, but Flock continued to remove the coverings.
This standoff persisted until the contract expired in April 2026, and Flock uninstalled the cameras completely.
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