Overview
- Over the weekend the LAPD allowed its three‑year deal with Flock Safety to end and temporarily paused use of some pole‑mounted automated license‑plate reader (ALPR) cameras while it rewrites contract terms.
- An LAPD Office of the Inspector General audit of August–September 2025 found the department’s ALPR systems produced more than 210.5 million reads and that officers acknowledged 161 alerts during the review period that later proved not to be stolen vehicles.
- The report shows false hits and delays in record updates can leave plates on ‘hot lists,’ and those alerts often trigger ‘high‑risk’ stops that involve backup, supervisors or air support and raise the chance of dangerous confrontations.
- Flock said it was surprised by the contract lapse and offered to clear up misconceptions, while several cities have already paused or ended contracts after security disclosures and reports of exposed camera feeds.
- The department’s move puts pressure on other agencies to tighten data governance, increase audits and renegotiate vendor access rules, and it could change how communities balance vehicle‑tracking tools with privacy and public‑safety risks.