Flock Camera Backlash: Local Governments Retreat From AI Surveillance
At least 10 local governments move to curb or drop Flock cameras as privacy, misuse and ICE access fears spur state restrictions and new federal bills.
Summary
Since summer 2026, at least 10 communities have moved against Flock Safety. Monroe, Newburgh, Richmond, Hopkinton, New Bedford and Lansing moved to end contracts; East Bridgewater and Grafton police plan to stop; League City voters rejected continued license plate readers; Asheville terminated access in August; El Paso County quit in September; and South Windsor voted in October to remove cameras activated last year without warning or a vote. Founded in 2017, Flock sells license plate readers, drones and microphone devices that detect gunshots and other sounds, with more than 100,000 cameras nationwide.
Privacy, sharing and procurement concerns intensified after a Brentwood officer was accused in August of using Flock to stalk his ex-wife, while an East Texas officer was imprisoned in September for stalking an ex-girlfriend and her family. Ithaca’s March termination resolution alleged Flock Group infrastructure let ICE and ATF query state and local automatic license plate reader data without local authorization. Flock says customers control their data, it neither sells data nor contracts with ICE, and its tools solve crimes and find stolen cars, suspects and missing people. In August, it cut new customers’ default retention from 30 days to seven and required case codes.
Florida barred readers from state highways this summer; Texas paused Flock funding. Cleveland extended Flock but restricted immigration searches, confined access to Cleveland Police by cutting off the Northeast Ohio Regional Fusion Center, and is reviewing alternatives. A September poll found more Americans opposed than supported the technology, though President Donald Trump endorsed it. Rep. Thomas Massie’s September Flock-Off Act would block federal purchases and add safeguards; Sen. Bernie Sanders, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Jeff Merkley introduced October’s Ban Flock Act. With Democrats controlling Congress, Tatiana Rice of the Future of Privacy Forum cites demand for safety without lost civil liberties, while Adam Schwartz of the Electronic Frontier Foundation says activists are securing council oversight.
Positives
- Flock’s more than 100,000 cameras can help solve serious crimes and locate stolen cars, suspects and missing people.
- Seven-day default retention for new customers replaces Flock’s previous 30-day period, reducing how long their data remains stored.
- Case codes are now required before agencies can search Flock’s database, adding accountability to police queries.
- Cleveland restricted immigration searches, removed Northeast Ohio Regional Fusion Center access and began reviewing competing vendors.
- Sheriff Joseph Roybal said El Paso County can locate and apprehend criminals using its existing tools, training and experience.
Risks & concerns
- At least 10 communities have moved to curb or abandon Flock since summer 2026 amid privacy, sharing and procurement concerns.
- A Brentwood officer was accused in August of using Flock to stalk his ex-wife during their divorce.
- An East Texas officer was imprisoned in September for using Flock to stalk his ex-girlfriend and her family.
- Ithaca alleged ICE and ATF accessed state and local license plate data without authorization from contracting communities.
- South Windsor’s cameras operated without public warning or a vote until the town ordered their removal in October.
- A September poll found more Americans dislike Flock’s technology than support it.
