Overview
- Boston said it ended a five‑month Flock pilot after discovering a vendor feature that allowed nationwide lookup of its camera data was enabled contrary to contract terms.
- Local governments across the country are cancelling or reviewing Flock contracts, with Eastpointe voting to remove cameras and multiple Michigan and Texas communities pausing or ending agreements.
- Investigations and audits have documented repeated improper officer searches, leading to more than two dozen law enforcement employees being fired, charged, or placed on leave.
- Flock has rolled out new safeguards that require auditing tools, case‑code requirements, and a default retention cut from 30 days to seven days, but officials say questions remain about enforcement and older data.
- Lawmakers and city leaders are proposing hearings, ordinances and state bills to limit searches, shorten retention, require warrants or independent audits, and to curb commercial uses of ALPR data.