Surveillance Safeguards Implemented
Flock Safety CEO Apologizes and Implements New Safeguards After Surveillance Misuse by Police
Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langley has apologized after investigations found police officers misused the company's license plate camera network for personal reasons, including stalking women. In 46 confirmed cases, officers ran searches with no legitimate law enforcement purpose, according to WWMT.
In response, Flock Safety announced new anti-abuse safeguards. The changes require officers to link every vehicle search to a specific criminal case and offense type. The company will also roll out automated auditing across all law enforcement customers to flag unusual searches, WGME reported.
46 Officers Caught Misusing License Plate Surveillance
Flock Safety operates a nationwide network of license plate reader cameras used by police departments. Officers can search the system to locate vehicles tied to crimes. But investigations found 46 cases where officers used the tool for personal reasons — not public safety, according to Fox San Antonio.
Among the misuses, some officers allegedly used the system to track and stalk women. These searches were not connected to any criminal case. The abuses came to light after independent investigations reviewed how departments were using Flock's technology, KTUL reported.
CEO Langley Apologizes and Pledges Policy Overhaul
CEO Garrett Langley issued a public apology, taking responsibility for the misuse of Flock's platform. WWMT reported that Langley said changes would be made to prevent officers from running unauthorized searches. The apology marked a rare moment of accountability from a surveillance technology company.
The new rules require officers to state a reason for every search — naming a specific case and crime type before querying the system. Flock will also deploy automated auditing tools across all its law enforcement partners. These tools will flag searches that look unusual or out of pattern, KUTV reported.
ACLU Warns That Flock's Network Threatens Privacy Rights
The American Civil Liberties Union criticized Flock Safety over the broader privacy risks of its surveillance network. The ACLU argued that the system violates people's right to privacy, even when used correctly by police. The group said mass license plate tracking allows authorities to monitor people's movements without their knowledge, News3LV reported.
Flock's cameras are installed in thousands of neighborhoods across the United States. Civil liberties advocates say the sheer scale of the network makes abuse easy and oversight difficult. The ACLU has called for stricter legal limits on how long location data can be stored and who can access it, according to WACH.
What Flock's New Safeguards Actually Change
Under the new system, every search must be logged with a case number and a listed offense type. This creates a paper trail that supervisors and auditors can review. Previously, officers could run searches without providing a reason, making misuse hard to detect, KMPH reported.
The automated auditing tool will scan search patterns across all law enforcement users. If an officer runs an unusually high number of searches — or targets the same vehicle repeatedly — the system will flag it for review. Flock says these changes will apply to all customers, not just departments where abuse was found, according to Bakersfield Now.
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