Flock Safety operates the largest automated license plate reader (ALPR) network in the United States — and it's watching you right now.
Every time you drive past a Flock camera, it captures a high-resolution photo of your vehicle, reads your license plate, and logs the exact time, date, and GPS location. But it doesn't stop there — according to Flock's own FAQ, their cameras use machine learning to extract far more than a traditional license plate reader.
This isn't speculation — this is what Flock advertises. The data is stored for 30 days or more, shared across thousands of agencies nationwide, and can be searched by any officer with access — often without a warrant.
What a Flock camera captures every time you drive past.
Over 80,000 Flock cameras are deployed across 5,000+ cities. Your movements are tracked whether you're a suspect or not. You were never asked. You were never told.
ALPR misreads have led to families being pulled over at gunpoint, handcuffed, and detained — because the system confused their plate with someone else's. It has happened dozens of documented times.
Police officers have used Flock cameras to stalk ex-partners, track personal enemies, and monitor people with no law enforcement justification. Audit logs are rarely reviewed.
Flock data has been accessed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal agencies, raising serious concerns for immigrant communities and sanctuary cities.
Most cities adopt Flock cameras with little to no public debate, no privacy impact assessment, and no policy governing how the data is used, shared, or retained.
Flock's newest product, NOVA, goes beyond plates — it creates a "vehicle fingerprint" that can identify your car even without reading your plate. This is where it's headed.
StopFlockSafety exists to educate and inform on the dangers of mass surveillance dragnets operated without meaningful oversight or accountability. If what you read here concerns you — good. Channel that concern into civic action: attend city council meetings, write to your representatives, file public records requests, and make your voice heard through the democratic process.
This site advocates exclusively for lawful, nonviolent civic engagement. We do not encourage or condone vandalism, threats, or violence of any kind toward law enforcement, policymakers, or property.
Year-long controversy over ICE access to Flock data; replaced by Axon
Left Flock: Feb 2026Police audit found ATF, Air Force, and GSA Inspector General accessed data without authorization
Left Flock: Feb 2026Flock installed cameras without city awareness after Council suspended the system
Left Flock: Dec 202510-camera pilot expired and was not renewed; Chief publicly rebuked Flock CEO
Left Flock: Oct 2025“People have a right to disagree... That's how Democracy works.”
— Chief Michael Kochis
Flock shared data with CBP in violation of Illinois law; city called breach 'intentional and unauthorized'
Left Flock: Aug 2025Over 30 community groups pressured city council; audit found 20%+ of searches lacked documentation
Left Flock: Jun 2025Privacy concerns and lack of independent oversight
Left Flock: Aug 2023“We believe our residents deserve to know they aren't being tracked every time they drive through our town.”
— Chief Ronald Smith
Fort Collins and Boulder are both considering dropping their Flock camera programs after public pushback, following Denver's decision not to renew. Boulder renegotiated its contract to allow 30-day termination without penalties. A Colorado Senate bill (SB 26-070) requiring warrants for ALPR searches older than 3 days is advancing through the legislature.
Denver's $150,000 Axon contract to replace Flock advances through committee, featuring 50 cameras (half of Flock's 100), 21-day data retention, no national database, and Denver owning all data. Axon pledged to fight any subpoenas in court. Council members still expressed concerns about the fundamental concept of mass license plate surveillance regardless of vendor.
FOIA documents reveal Oklahoma City PD has zero transparency reporting, no internal usage reporting, and no SOPs for their 90 Flock cameras. An internal memo states: 'There is no transparency reporting or internal usage reporting in our policies, SOPs, directives, training or guidance materials.' The $270,000/year contract lacks any oversight mechanisms.
Richmond's City Council voted 4-3 to extend its Flock contract and reactivate cameras that had been off since October 2025, when police discovered federal agencies had unauthorized access. Flock agreed to a $290,000 penalty for unauthorized data disclosures and disabled the national lookup feature for all California agencies. Vehicle theft had risen 33% while cameras were off.
Although Denver's city contract with Flock ends March 31, private cameras leased to businesses, HOAs, and neighborhood groups will continue operating. Denver police can currently search any private Flock customer's data if the customer opts into sharing. The article highlights how private deployments create a parallel surveillance network that persists even when cities officially cut ties.
Op-ed opposing Flock expansion in Berkeley, citing the Denver false theft accusation case and California SB 34 violations. Reveals Berkeley PD's internal audit found external agencies searching their data using terms like 'ICE' and 'CBP,' potentially violating Berkeley's sanctuary city resolution. Berkeley City Council votes March 24.