Flock CEO Says Company Has Not Cancelled Police Contracts Over Misuse

Surveillance company Flock has not ended contracts with any law enforcement agencies despite reports of product misuse by officers. Garrett Langley, the CEO of the Atlanta-based company, spoke at the Disrupt 2026 conference in San Francisco and addressed criticisms regarding the misuse of its license plate reader cameras. Reporting has previously identified dozens of police officers who were arrested, fired, or told to resign after using Flock's database to stalk people without permission. Langley told TechCrunch editor-in-chief Connie Loizos that the company would cut ties with any customer involved in widespread abuse. However, he stated that Flock has not yet fired a customer because the company believes it should not take away a product from a community that needs it to fight crime. Langley explained that if a customer knowingly broke the law, the company would fire them immediately. He noted that most debates involve nuanced situations where only a couple of officers out of fifty are caught abusing the system.

Protests and Controversy

The maker of license plate reader cameras operates more than 100,000 devices across the United States. These cameras let local police and federal agencies track vehicle license plates and people passing by. Some police departments track cars across the entire country using Flock's central database, even outside their local jurisdictions. This has turned Flock into a flashpoint in the surveillance debate, with some towns and cities canceling contracts or letting them expire over privacy fears. Reports indicate some cameras were reactivated against customer wishes, leading residents to cover them with trash bags or destroy them. Outside the Disrupt venue, demonstrators protested against Flock's AI-powered surveillance. Protestors wore red robes from "Handmaid's Tale" and cardboard camera replicas on their heads while playing clips from the movie "1984" on loudspeakers. Ashley Ortiz, an organizer with local progressive group The Wolves, criticized the technology and noted that opposition includes both left-wing and right-wing groups. While Flock has no direct contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency has reportedly accessed data by working with local police.

Company Stance

Langley defended the system by stating that license plate tracking helps police solve crimes faster, citing an example of a stolen car with a baby inside being found quickly. Flock has also faced cybersecurity issues and camera accuracy problems that led to wrongful arrests and police stops, including an incident involving a journalist. Some communities have replaced their Flock contracts with rival companies like Axon, but Langley stated that Flock has no desire to sell the company.

Context

License plate reader technology is widely used by law enforcement agencies across the United States to monitor traffic and track vehicle movements. The controversy highlights growing public tensions between municipal security needs and citizen privacy rights regarding automated mass surveillance networks.