Overview
- The LAPD allowed its three‑year agreement with Flock Safety to expire last Saturday and has paused use of Flock‑operated automated license‑plate readers while talks continue.
- An internal Office of Inspector General audit found ALPR alerts led to 337 stolen‑vehicle recoveries and 161 incorrect stolen‑vehicle flags over a two‑month review, highlighting real risks of false positives and dangerous stops.
- The Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners voted to adopt OIG recommendations to suspend new ALPR deployments, require annual audits, document stops triggered by alerts, and seek public input before new contracts move forward.
- Under the department’s proposed contract language, LAPD would own every image, record and metadata from the cameras, bar Flock from sharing or selling data, and require rapid breach notification; Flock says it was surprised and hopes to resolve concerns.
- The move follows a nationwide wave of local cancellations and reports of data‑sharing and security lapses, and it could force standard contract terms and tighter oversight for third‑party surveillance vendors while privately funded poles complicate camera removal.