Flock Safety offers employee buyouts amid rising contract cancellations

Flock Safety, an automated license plate reader company, has launched a voluntary employee buyout program. Employees have until October 2 to apply for payouts that include tens of thousands of dollars, healthcare coverage, and a two-year window for stock options. Most departing employees are expected to leave the company by October 29.

The buyout comes amid increasing pressure from local governments to terminate contracts with the surveillance firm. Reports indicate that 93 cities and counties cut ties with Flock in a single month, and approximately 90 of the 214 cities that have dropped the company since 2021 did so in August. In Florida, the Department of Transportation terminated all active permits on state highway rights of way, and Texas has paused state funding for Flock deployments.

Resistance to the technology is driven by privacy concerns and allegations of misuse. Investigations have suggested that the cameras can collect more than basic plate data, including details on pedestrians and bicycles. Additionally, scrutiny has arisen regarding how the data is used, with reports of officers using the system to track personal acquaintances and audit logs containing unprofessional entries like ‘LOL’ and ‘idk’.