Flock CEO: No police departments have been dropped as customers

Garrett Langley, chief executive of Flock, a US maker of license plate reader cameras, said at TechCrunch's Disrupt 2026 conference in San Francisco that the company has not terminated any customer contract over abuse of its products. In an interview with TechCrunch editor-in-chief Connie Loizos, he answered criticism over police misuse of Flock's nationwide database of license plate detections. The issue matters because the cameras let police and federal agencies follow vehicles and people across the country.

What the CEO said

Langley said Flock would end a relationship where there was clear, widespread abuse. So far, however, it has not "fired" a customer such as a police department or law enforcement agency. He said the company debated the question internally but argued it should not take its product away from a community that may need it to fight crime. If a customer knowingly broke the law, he said, it would be dropped immediately, but the debate centers on cases such as two officers out of fifty being caught.

Reporting has identified dozens of officers who were arrested, fired or told to resign after abusing access to the database, often to stalk people without permission.

Protests and criticism

Atlanta, Georgia-based Flock has more than 100,000 cameras across the United States. Some towns and cities have cancelled contracts or let them expire over privacy concerns, and there are reports of cameras being reactivated against customers' wishes. While Langley spoke, demonstrators gathered outside the venue to protest AI-powered surveillance. Activist Ashley Ortiz said people across the political spectrum oppose mass surveillance.

Langley argued that the system helps police solve more crimes, faster, and cited a stolen car with a baby inside that was found quickly. Flock has also been criticized over cybersecurity and camera accuracy problems that led to police stops and wrongful arrests. Some communities have switched to rivals such as Axon. Asked about a possible sale to Axon, Langley said the company is not considering selling.