Flock tries to make its cameras harder for cops to misuse

The platform will look for "abnormal search behavior" and lock out suspicious users.

Aaron of L.A. Photography/Shutterstock Flock cameras have quickly become some of the most hated things on the planet . One of the primary reasons is the perception that cops abuse the tools for nefarious ends. There have been plenty of reports that allege that officers have used Flock cameras to spy on people or even stalk ex-partners .

The company is finally addressing some of these issues and rolling out updates to make abuse by law enforcement and other entities more difficult. The pre-existing Audit Assistance feature will now be required to use, after being introduced as an optional tool. This flags "abnormal search behavior" and locks out suspicious users until an administrator reviews their activity.

Police officers will now be required to enter case codes to run searches, which is intended to limit personal queries. This can, however, be overridden by an administrator in certain scenarios.

I've learned a lot in nine years of building @Flock_Safety . Some of it from our customers, and some of it from the communities they serve.

Today we're announcing the changes that came from listening. A new standard for privacy, security, and accountability in public safety...

— Garrett Langley (@glangley) August 13, 2026

"This is such an obvious way to curb abuse," CEO Garrett Langley told The Verge . "And I said, 'Fine. You know what? I think that's right, and we got this one wrong. We should make it a requirement.'" It is worth noting that we've been seeing Flock-related stalking incidents from police officers since 2021 .

The company is also shortening the Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) data retention period from 30 days to a week. Again, there will be exceptions for "cases that take longer," like "an active investigation in cold storage." However, this looks to only apply to new customers. The company is carving out another exception for existing customers, in which they can "keep their current, democratically approved retention periods."

CEO Langley has long been combative when it comes to critics of Flock, even calling a website that tracks the cameras "terroristic". He has since apologized for that language and seems to have taken a softer approach, likely due to severe public backlash .

"All I guess I'm asking for is for a fair shot," he told The Verge . "It took me maybe longer than it should have to realize the sheer impact of the company." Again, it must be noted that these officer-related offenses have been ongoing for at least five years and the company itself turns 10 next year .

These are largely positive moves that could curb some police misuse, but that's only one aspect of why people dislike Flock cameras so much. Groups like the ACLU and the Electronic Frontier Foundation have accused the company of misleading the public regarding the capabilities of these cameras, suggesting that they are actually much more than simple license plate readers.

To that end, there are allegations that the cameras have been used to track a woman seeking an abortion . Police have also been using Flock cameras to track people traveling from one state to another for the purpose of purchasing marijuana in a state where it's legal .

There are multiple reports that Flock data has been shared with ICE, to which Langley has said that "if the state of Texas wants to enforce immigration, they might use Flock, but they're gonna go enforce immigration no matter what Flock does." As of this writing, at least 24 people have reportedly died in ICE custody in 2026.

All of this combined has led to serious backlash. Some law enforcement agencies have severed ties with the company, like in Los Angeles . Communities have also begun taking matters into their own hands. Flock cameras have been vandalized, destroyed or straight-up stolen in numerous incidents throughout the country . One Minnesota town found that its entire stock of Flock cameras had disappeared overnight. The city's police department has announced it will not be replacing the cameras.

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