Flock Safety, a company known for its license plate reader technology, is revising its policies in response to incidents of law enforcement abuse and public concern over privacy. The company announced an expansion of its 'Audit Assistance' feature, which monitors unusual activity and flags it for review. By the end of the year, all customers must adopt this auditing feature, and any suspicious activity will result in an automatic suspension of the user's account pending review.
Additionally, Flock Safety will now require officers to provide case codes linked to investigations when conducting a search, a feature that was optional since its introduction in July 2025. This requirement can be bypassed only in emergencies. These policy changes come after reports that officers have misused Flock's technology for personal reasons. Recent allegations include a police officer in New Bedford, Massachusetts, accused of using the system to stalk an ex-girlfriend, and three sheriff's deputies in Georgia arrested for similar offenses. Moreover, an investigation revealed that at least 50 law enforcement officers have been charged with misusing the technology.
Flock Safety also plans to reduce the data retention period for license plate searches from 30 days to seven, except when the data is part of an active investigation. While the company claims these steps reflect its commitment to safety and privacy, critics like Chad Marlow from the American Civil Liberties Union view the announcement largely as a public relations move. Marlow acknowledges the data retention change as potentially positive but criticizes other measures as insufficient repeats of previous efforts.
Founded in Atlanta, Flock Safety has established contracts with over 7,000 organizations and deployed around 120,000 license plate readers. Despite its growth, the company faces criticism from civil rights groups concerned about privacy erosion. This backlash has led some cities to cancel contracts with Flock.