What the Flock?! May 15, 2026
Unsurprisingly (if you’ve been following along), there have been even more reports about the many problems with Flock Safety’s AI-powered license plate readers and other surveillance tools. (Do you know about Flock’s many drone programs? A Flock representative recently told a reporter that “a human operator is part of each step except one.” He goes on to explain that the drone “flies to the location by itself. But then once it's on scene the operator can manipulate the camera, zoom in on things to try and get more information.” Is it just us, or did that explanation not really make you feel any better?)
404 Media reported that Dunwoody, GA residents were alarmed to learn that Flock employees accessed sensitive areas of a local recreation center (pool, gym). Flock responded to the claims saying that the access in question was part of an authorized product demonstration program. Flock then adjusted their demonstration policy to prohibit viewing of sensitive areas. (If this seemingly hand-caught-in-the-cookie-jar style course correction feels familiar, that’s because it is. Flock has a history of providing transparency after their policies have been publicly identified as problematic. See here and here.)
This week, a Connecticut columnist wrote an article about Flock’s widespread surveillance network and the inherent dangers.
In Berkeley, CA, a confidential memo from city attorneys to Berkeley’s city council, police accountability board, city manager, police chief, and interim director of police accountability was leaked just before the city council was set to vote on renewing the town's contract, purchasing more surveillance tools, and expanding their network to plug into private cameras. (All told, the expansion would cost $2 million.) The city attorneys cited many concerns with Flock's AI-powered surveillance tools, ultimately concluding that the “technology carries inherent legal risks that cannot be entirely mitigated.” They stated, “we cannot ensure Flock will abide by its contractual obligations,” and indicated that Flock may not have the technical ability to implement some of the safeguards requested by the city, among other legal concerns.
Speaking of legal concerns, three residents in San Jose, CA have filed a class action lawsuit in federal court against the city, arguing that Flock cameras (474 cameras for only 178 square miles!) violate the Fourth Amendment with their warrantless tracking. The plaintiffs are asking for data to be deleted within 24 hours and for the AI-powered surveillance system in the city to be declared unconstitutional. In the suit, The Institute for Justice (who is representing the plaintiffs) reported that, in the second half of 2025, the cameras were searched an average of more than 15,000 times per day. The plaintiffs allege that abuse of Flock’s system "is unfortunately all too common.”
An example of such abuse is currently under investigation in Milwaukee, WI. The Milwaukee Police Department is investigating alleged employee misuse of the Flock database for the second time this calendar year. (Three months ago, a MPD employee was investigated for searching the Flock camera data over 170 times to track their ex.) Nevertheless, the Milwaukee Police Department still stated that the AI-powered license plate cameras are helpful for solving crimes when used correctly. Members of the community who oppose the cameras think that this event underscores the dangers of these tools. We’re inclined to agree.
Back at the end of March, Flock finally removed remaining cameras from Evanston, IL after months of dispute. (For context: The city cancelled their contract in August 2025. Flock challenged the termination and reinstalled the cameras unilaterally. The city responded by covering the remaining cameras in garbage bags because they could not confirm that the cameras were truly off.) The final update in this saga is an interesting read because it includes email chains between the city and Flock representatives which were obtained via Freedom of Information Act Inquiries.
Wonderfully, contract cancellations abound! Dayton, OH is indefinitely suspending its use of Flock cameras in order to perform an internal review. The Dayton Police Department found that "a network sharing feature had been enabled, allowing data to be accessed more broadly than intended," including 7,100 requests which cited immigration. This is not the first case of a city's sharing settings being different than intended. (See here and here).
The El Cerrito city council voted not to renew its contract with Flock Safety. While El Cerrito's mayor was pro-Flock, the Mayor Pro Tem Rebecca Saltzman (a city council member) expressed concerns about federal agencies accessing the data and about widespread AI-surveillance networks within the context of the Trump administration's attacks on democracy and human rights. Saltzman aptly noted, “The law has been changing constantly, we are losing more rights every week. Trump and the Supreme Court could change the law and require Flock turn over the data tomorrow.” The El Cerrito police department provided data endorsing positive effects of the license plate reader cameras, but, nevertheless, the council was split and ultimately voted 3-2 against renewing the contract.
Appleton, WI also announced that they were ending their contract with Flock. Mayor Jake Woodford’s statement is worth reading in full:
After careful consideration, taking into account the feedback from our community and our own concerns, we are beginning the process of ending our use of Flock Safety's system in the City of Appleton. Automated license plate reader (ALPR) technology has proven instrumental in solving cases, recovering stolen property, and locating missing people and we believe that if an alternative option is identified, it is an important capability to maintain for our community. That being said, concerns about the integrity of Flock's underlying system have eroded our trust.
The Appleton Police Department has long instituted strong internal controls over use of the product and data and has enhanced its policies to protect the public in recent months. However, such rigorous standards cannot be verified beyond the boundaries of our jurisdiction. Examples of illegitimate use of Flock data by personnel in other departments with access to the system reinforce accountability concerns that are not under the City of Appleton's control as a customer.
Recent events in a neighboring community have also raised questions about the accuracy of information Flock Safety provides to its customers. Regardless of the specific details, we hold ourselves to the highest standard in matters involving the public's personal data. [Links added for context]
This week also brought some regulation and education updates. Washington state just passed Senate Bill 6002, which provides safeguards for license plate cameras, such as limiting their uses (“police can only use the readers when investigating felonies or gross misdemeanors, looking for stolen vehicles or those registered to people with arrest warrants and searching for missing or endangered people, with some exceptions.”), data sharing (“the data can’t be shared except in court proceedings,”) and data retention (data “will need to be deleted after 21 days, unless it’s needed for police evidence”).
The ACLU of Massachusetts just published information differentiating between speed cameras and AI-powered license plate readers. This is a helpful one to reference when you’re discussing Flock with folks concerned about run-of-the-mill traffic safety!
Finally, there’s still time to boost the call for transparency regarding Home Depot’s use of Flock cameras in advance of their annual shareholder meeting on 5/21. If you missed this news in our prior What the Flock?! installment, full context and suggested actions to take can be found here.
Mass 50501 continues our work at the municipal and state levels to remove Flock cameras from our communities and people are paying attention! If you are here, you’ve likely already learned a little bit about the dangers of these AI-powered mass surveillance tools. Things are changing fast and it can be tough to keep up with all the news. We’ll continue to post blogs about Flock (check our articles here). In this space, you’ll find quick info from recent Flock news nationwide. This information could be helpful in removing cameras from your city or town! As always, if you’re interested in getting more involved, email us at flockoff@mass50501.org and join us in Discord!
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