{
  "id": 5302296,
  "title": "This Is Flock’s AI Search Tool for Cops",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/this-is-flocks-ai-search-tool-for-cops",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-09-03T10:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Wired",
    "slug": "wired",
    "url": "https://www.wired.com/story/flock-ai-search-user-interface/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Flock Technologies has unveiled an AI-powered search tool designed specifically for law enforcement agencies. This tool allows officers to conduct automated searches of city camera footage, targeting individuals matching specific written descriptions. In the past year, Flock has faced criticism for its technology, with police departments canceling contracts and city councils revoking approvals. Two members of Congress have raised concerns after a Texas deputy searched over 83,000 cameras for a woman who underwent an abortion. Illinois discovered that Flock allowed federal immigration agents to access state camera data, breaching state law. In response, Flock has implemented a series of changes, including reducing the default data retention period, requiring case codes for every search, and adding automated auditing to detect misuse. These changes will become mandatory by the end of the year. WIRED has examined the code behind these promises, but much of the decision-making process occurs on Flock's servers. While Flock's guardrails may discourage some abusive uses and record them, they cannot entirely prevent misuse. Experts studying automated screening and police technology agree that Flock's AI faces challenges in accurately determining which descriptions officers can search for, with nobody outside the company able to verify the accuracy of its results. Flock's system evaluates officers' written descriptions against categories of sensitive content, such as race, religion, and political expression. While the latter category is not automatically blocked, it is the only sensitive category Flock has chosen to partially restrict, which some experts find problematic. WIRED has sent Flock detailed findings and questions, and the company has responded with a statement emphasizing its commitment to maintaining safeguards around technology use. However, the statement lacks details on how Flock's AI model was developed, what instructions it works from, or how different verdicts are derived. Flock's interface includes multiple tools, with each functioning differently. For instance, a text-based search produces a statistical ranking of video footage, while a \"Smart Sort\" feature allows officers to approve or reject individual images, rearranging the ranking accordingly. The company offers various search capabilities, including plain-language searches (FreeForm) and standard vehicle searches. FreeForm allows officers to use natural-language descriptions, such as \"person wearing scrubs,\" to search for individuals. Despite being available for years, Flock's FreeForm search is often used to target individuals based on descriptions of clothing and tattoos.",
  "summary": "WIRED rebuilt Flock’s latest search tool from code the company sends to a police officer’s browser. Its AI can keep watch across multiple cameras for anyone fitting a written description.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}