Flock CEO Defends Continued Police Department Contracts Amid Abuse Reports

Image: A photo of Flock protesters outside Moscone Center in San FranciscoImage Credits:TechCrunch · Source

Flock CEO Garrett Langley says the company hasn't terminated contracts with police departments despite reports of misuse of its license plate reader data, emphasizing nuanced decisions and the value of their crime-fighting technology.

Flock, a surveillance company specializing in license plate reader cameras, continues to maintain contracts with police departments amid reports of misuse of its data by some officers. Garrett Langley, Flock's CEO, addressed the issue during the Disrupt 2026 conference in San Francisco, responding to criticism about instances where officers have abused access to Flock’s nationwide license plate detection database.

According to Langley, while the company would immediately cut ties with any customer that knowingly broke the law, no police department or law enforcement agency has been "fired" from using Flock’s services to date. He explained that internal debates have considered the issue carefully, balancing the risk of abuse against the benefits communities derive from using the technology to combat crime.

Langley acknowledged that in cases where abuse is limited to a small number of officers rather than systemic within a department, the company has refrained from terminating contracts. "If a customer knowingly broke the law, we would fire them immediately. That's very easy," he said. But in more nuanced circumstances, such as when only a few officers are implicated, the decision is more complex.

Flock operates over 100,000 cameras across the United States, enabling law enforcement agencies to track vehicle license plates nationwide through its central database. This capability has raised privacy concerns, prompting some municipalities to cancel or refuse contracts with the company. There have also been reports of Flock reactivating cameras after community pushback, including instances of residents physically disabling the devices.

Demonstrators protesting Flock’s AI-powered surveillance gathered outside the Disrupt event during Langley’s interview, expressing concerns about mass surveillance and its implications for civil liberties. Activists emphasized that opposition to such surveillance spans political ideologies, uniting conservatives, progressives, and others.

While critics highlight privacy and security shortcomings, Langley defended Flock’s systems by citing cases where the technology has enabled law enforcement to solve crimes more rapidly, including locating a stolen vehicle carrying a child. Nonetheless, Flock has faced criticism over cybersecurity vulnerabilities and instances of camera inaccuracies leading to wrongful law enforcement actions.

Despite these challenges and competition from companies like Axon, Langley indicated that Flock has no plans to sell the company. The continuing debate around Flock’s technology reflects deeper societal tensions over balancing public safety and privacy in the era of AI-powered surveillance.