Flock says it has kept police customers despite reports of database abuse
Flock CEO Garrett Langley said the company has not ended contracts with police departments or other law enforcement customers over misuse of its license plate reader system. His comments come amid reports of officers abusing access to Flock’s database, including to stalk people, and growing public concern about surveillance.
Langley said Flock would terminate a customer that knowingly broke the law or engaged in widespread abuse, but argued that removing the system could deprive communities of a crime-fighting tool. The company operates more than 100,000 cameras across the US, and its shared database can let law enforcement track vehicles beyond local jurisdictions. Protesters gathered outside the San Francisco conference where Langley spoke, while some communities have cancelled or allowed camera contracts to expire.
- Flock says it has not dropped any police customers over misuse.
- Its database links more than 100,000 cameras across the US.
- Protests and local cancellations reflect growing privacy concerns.
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Flock makes cameras that read vehicle number plates and record when and where cars pass. Police departments and other law enforcement agencies use the system to search for vehicles, and a shared database can let them follow a car across local boundaries.
The system can help investigators look for vehicles linked to crimes, but it also creates records of people’s movements. Reports that some officers have used database access to stalk people have raised questions about how access is monitored and what should happen when it is misused.
Flock is a private company, and police departments decide whether to use its cameras. Some communities have ended or let contracts expire, while others continue to use the system, making oversight and public trust central to the debate.
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The case for
Keeping the system available can help police investigate serious crimes and follow leads across local boundaries, potentially making it harder for offenders to evade detection by crossing jurisdictions. Flock argues that targeted termination for knowing or widespread abuse is a way to preserve this public-safety benefit while holding customers accountable, rather than removing a tool from communities because of individual misconduct.
The case against
A shared network of plate readers can enable intrusive tracking across wide areas, and reports of officers using access to stalk people show that misuse can cause serious harm. Critics can reasonably argue that keeping contracts in place despite such reports risks normalising surveillance and weakening public trust, and that restricting or ending use is justified if safeguards and enforcement cannot adequately protect people’s privacy.
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Originally published by TechCrunch as “Flock CEO: We haven’t ‘fired’ any police departments as customers”.