Custer County Ends Flock License‑Plate Camera Program

Overview

• The Custer County Sheriff's Office has terminated its contract with Flock Safety and had a Flock contractor remove the remaining automated license‑plate reader cameras, and the office says it does not plan to install another ALPR or photo‑radar system at this time.
• CCSO said the Flock system helped in major cases, including the November 2023 triple homicide where a nationwide BOLO and a Flock detection in Santa Fe allowed U.S. Marshals to locate and arrest a suspect without injuries.
• The sheriff pointed to rising local complaints about privacy and national reporting of officers misusing plate‑reader databases as key reasons for ending the program rather than for lack of investigative value.
• CCSO says it notified Flock on March 24 that it wanted to cancel the contract, two camera poles were vandalized in early August, and the final equipment was removed this past weekend, which the office says officially ends the agreement.
• The move reflects a larger national reassessment of ALPR use that has prompted other jurisdictions to pause or cancel contracts and led to proposals to tighten data retention, limit who can run historical searches, and require stronger audit trails.