Flock Safety ALPR contracts canceled, privacy debate grows in US

Law enforcement agencies across the United States are reevaluating contracts with surveillance firm Flock Safety after privacy and data‑sharing concerns. In Illinois, the state association of police chiefs defended the use of automated license‑plate readers (ALPRs) while civil‑rights groups highlighted instances where out‑of‑state and federal agencies accessed camera data. The Los Angeles Police Department let its three‑year contract lapse, citing “serious concerns” about civil liberties and the ownership of collected data. Similar reviews are underway in California cities such as Redwood City, which is auditing its data‑sharing practices, and in Cleveland, where the council is extending a contract but adding strict limits on external access and data retention.

Other municipalities—from Hamilton Township, New Jersey, to several cities in Northern Kentucky—have installed new Flock cameras, prompting local debates about mass surveillance, warrantless searches, and the potential for immigration‑enforcement use. State legislators in California have proposed tighter retention rules, and a statewide audit has revealed that some Flock networks were inadvertently accessible to agencies outside California. The controversy has led to a wave of contract cancellations and renegotiations, with Flock publicly stating that data belongs to the police agencies and that it is working to add stronger privacy safeguards.