Flock rolls out new safeguards after reports of police misusing its cameras

Flock Safety, the company behind widely deployed automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras, has announced several changes aimed at making its systems harder for law enforcement to misuse. The move follows years of reports that police officers used the cameras for personal purposes, including allegedly stalking ex-partners.

What's changing

The company's Audit Assistance feature, which flags "abnormal search behavior" and locks out suspicious users until an administrator reviews their activity, is now mandatory rather than optional. Officers will also be required to enter case codes before running searches, a measure meant to curb personal queries, though administrators can override this requirement in certain situations.

Flock is also cutting its ALPR data retention period from 30 days to one week, with exceptions for ongoing investigations kept in cold storage. This shorter window applies primarily to new customers, while existing customers can keep their previously approved, longer retention periods.

Criticism persists

CEO Garrett Langley acknowledged the company had gotten this issue wrong and said he's now seeking a fairer hearing from critics, having previously used combative language toward them. Still, groups including the ACLU and the Electronic Frontier Foundation continue to accuse Flock of misrepresenting what its cameras are actually capable of. Reports have alleged the cameras were used to track a woman seeking an abortion and people traveling between states to buy legal marijuana, and that Flock data has been shared with US immigration enforcement agency ICE.

The backlash has led some police departments, including in Los Angeles, to cut ties with the company, while in other communities Flock cameras have been vandalized, destroyed or stolen.