Overview
- Flock announced on Thursday that it will make audit-assistance tools mandatory for all law-enforcement customers, set a default seven-day retention with an Evidence Mode exception for active cases, add proactive lockouts, require a case number for most searches, and commission an independent security review.
- Reporting and local audits have identified dozens of alleged officer abuses tied to Flock searches — roughly 46 cases reported — and some departments have already opened internal probes or made criminal referrals.
- Local reviews have also found high error rates in the cameras’ reads, including a Roseville, California, police finding that one plate was misidentified 71% of the time between 2023 and 2024, which has led to wrongful stops in some cases.
- Public pushback has grown: more than 50 jurisdictions have paused, canceled or limited contracts, cameras have been vandalized or stolen, and the HaveIBeenFlocked site has published millions of search logs obtained through public records to let drivers see if they were searched.
- Civil-liberties groups and some experts say Flock’s product changes leave key loopholes — for example, the company does not verify entered case numbers and agencies can extend retention — so lawmakers and prosecutors are likely to press for statutory limits, independent audits and continued criminal investigations.