Flock Safety cameras face nationwide backlash in the United States

Flock Safety ALPR cameras municipal contract cancellations privacy concerns camera vandalism

Flock Safety, a company that operates more than 120,000 automated license‑plate‑reader (ALPR) and pan‑tilt‑zoom (PTZ) cameras across 49 U.S. states and over 6,000 communities, is encountering a wave of opposition. Residents and activists have destroyed cameras with chainsaws in northern New York, painted them in Oakland, California, and rammed one with a truck in Idaho. In Florida a man blocked a camera’s view with a chair and cardboard sign. Municipalities from Fort Collins, CO; Eugene, OR; Madison, WI; Knoxville, TN; Syracuse, NY; to Walla Walla, WA have disabled or cancelled contracts with the firm, and a total of 95 U.S. cities have taken similar action. The controversy intensified after a Dunwoody, Georgia, vice‑president accessed the police department’s system and zoomed in on a private community‑center room on 30 September 2025, prompting protests despite the city council’s vote to renew the contract. Law‑enforcement officers have also been accused of using the network for personal tracking. Critics, including 24‑year‑old Caleb Williams of South Carolina, describe the system as a privacy violation, while the company argues it aids crime investigations.

Entities

Caleb Williams · Dunwoody Police Department · Flock Safety · Fort Collins, Colorado · Garrett Langley · Los Angeles Police Department · US municipalities · United States

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[● 7 SOURCES] Flock Safety operates more than 120,000 cameras across 49 U.S. states serving over 6,000 communities. mashable.com · abc17news.com · keyt.com · localnews8.com · kesq.com · +2 more
[○ 1 SOURCE] The Dunwoody City Council voted to renew its contract with Flock despite resident protests. heraldadvocate.com
[○ 1 SOURCE] Flock cameras record vehicle details such as license plate, color, model, bumper stickers, and dents. mashable.com
[○ 1 SOURCE] Los Angeles cancelled its contract with Flock and switched to Axon. www.theblaze.com
[● 3 SOURCES] Law‑enforcement officers have been accused of using Flock cameras for personal reasons. heraldadvocate.com · www.theblaze.com · www.courrierinternational.com
[○ 1 SOURCE] Flock cameras have been installed on school buses, parks, schools, retail stores, FedEx trucks and on light posts. www.theblaze.com
[○ 1 SOURCE] Flock Safety raised $275 million last year and was valued at $7.5 billion. mashable.com
[○ 1 SOURCE] On 30 September 2025, a Flock vice‑president accessed the Dunwoody Police Department’s camera system and zoomed on a room at the Marcus Jewish Community Center. heraldadvocate.com
[● 6 SOURCES] Flock Safety operates more than 120,000 ALPR and PTZ cameras across 49 U.S. states serving over 6,000 communities. abc17news.com · keyt.com · localnews8.com · kesq.com · ktvz.com · +1 more
[● 5 SOURCES] Caleb Williams, a 24‑year‑old from rural South Carolina, said the cameras violate privacy. abc17news.com · keyt.com · localnews8.com · kesq.com · ktvz.com
[● 6 SOURCES] Municipal governments in Fort Collins (CO), Eugene (OR), Madison (WI), Knoxville (TN), Syracuse (NY) and Walla Walla (WA) have disabled or cancelled contracts with Flock. abc17news.com · keyt.com · localnews8.com · kesq.com · ktvz.com · +1 more
[● 5 SOURCES] In Florida, a man blocked a camera’s view by sitting on a garden chair with a cardboard sign. abc17news.com · keyt.com · localnews8.com · kesq.com · ktvz.com