At least 10 local governments and law enforcement agencies have moved since this summer to restrict, curb, or entirely end their use of Flock Safety technology. The rising backlash highlights mounting public skepticism regarding mass surveillance, data privacy, and the rapid deployment of advanced municipal technology.
Founded in 2017, Flock supplies surveillance infrastructure including automatic license plate readers, drones, and acoustic gunshot-detection devices to over 100,000 locations nationwide. However, communities such as Monroe, Ohio; Newburgh, New York; Richmond, Virginia; Hopkinton and New Bedford, Massachusetts; Lansing, Michigan; and League City, Texas, have recently taken steps to terminate contracts or remove the hardware following votes and resident pushback. Similar rollbacks occurred in Asheville, North Carolina, and within the El Paso County Sheriff's Office in Colorado.
Critics and privacy advocates point to multiple friction points, including how data is handled, procurement transparency, and potential misuse of the system. Documented incidents include law enforcement officers accused of utilizing the technology for personal stalking, alongside worries regarding federal agencies accessing local databases without explicit local authorization. In response to mounting pressure, Flock announced in August that it would reduce default data storage from 30 days to seven days and require case codes for database searches, while maintaining that customers retain full ownership and control of their information.
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