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Flock Cameras Face Growing Opposition Amid Privacy Concerns
Confirmed
In Short: Cities across Virginia and Texas are suspending or ending contracts with Flock Safety, amid privacy concerns.
Lynchburg, Virginia, became the latest city to act, voting 6-1 to end its contract with Flock Safety, which operates 15 license plate-reading cameras and 55 gunshot-detection devices. This decision follows similar actions in Amherst, Bedford, Appomattox, Campbell, and Giles counties, as well as Charlotte and Halifax counties, which have either suspended or terminated their systems.
In Texas, Wylie’s City Council voted unanimously on August 25 to not renew its Flock contract. Asheville, North Carolina, also voted 5-2 to end a contract covering 11 Flock cameras. These moves reflect a broader trend of local governments reconsidering the use of Flock cameras, which are used by law enforcement to identify vehicles associated with crime and investigations.
The expansion of Flock cameras has faced increasing scrutiny, with the Virginia General Assembly considering a bill that would bar federal funding for Flock cameras, require the removal of federally funded systems, and give state and local recipients 180 days to stop operating federally financed devices. While the bill does not ban the cameras outright, it would prevent local governments from using federal funding to buy or operate them.
Despite the growing opposition, some cities, such as The Palm Springs Post, have embraced Flock cameras. In December 2024, the city voted to replace its public safety camera system with Flock cameras at 52 non-residential intersections. However, the rapid expansion of Flock cameras in the area has raised concerns, with 748 cameras operating throughout the valley, a relatively high concentration compared with other cities nationally.
What's confirmed
What's still developing
- Flock Safety has previously pushed back against claims that its expanding network of ALPRs is contributing to a surveillance state.
- DeFlock describes itself as an open-source project mapping license plate readers across the country.
- Opponents have raised concerns about the scale of data collection, while proponents say the systems have become an effective tool for investigating crimes and finding suspects.
- The company’s CEO Garrett Langley told Newsweek in a mid-August video interview that Flock's "end goal isn’t a dystopian future of surveillance; it’s one where we all feel safe." Newsweek contacted Flock Safety and DeFlock for comment on this article via email on Saturday morning.