Overview
- Flock Safety’s cameras photograph license plates and vehicle details such as make, model, color and bumper stickers and log time‑stamped location data that police use to find stolen cars and suspects.
- Recent audits and reporting have uncovered high false‑alert rates, documented officer searches for personal reasons, and instances where Flock reactivated or reinstalled cameras without clear municipal authorization.
- Several cities have moved to disable or end Flock contracts after those findings, with Littleton ordering camera removals after five devices were reactivated without notice and Chandler deciding not to renew following an audit anomaly.
- States and officials are stepping in: Connecticut passed a law banning Flock data for immigration or abortion investigations, Illinois ordered Flock to cut federal agency access, and California is considering SB1013 to set training, audit and retention rules.
- Flock and many police agencies point to 30‑day deletion, audit logs and access controls as safeguards but courts have issued mixed rulings on constitutional limits and key appeals leave legal standards unsettled.