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1h ago

Flock Safety Tightens Controls as Drone Program Grows

The company has imposed new search audits and shorter data retention to limit misuse, even as its drone service expands and leaves oversight unsettled.

SILVER SPRING, MD - AUGUST 19: An Axon brand automatic license plate reader (ALPR) camera stands in the median of 16th Street near the border of Maryland and the District of Columbia on August 19, 2026 in Silver Spring, Maryland. Law enforcement technology company Flock, which runs a nationwide network of automated license plate readers (ALPR), introduced new safety controls last week in an effort to curb scrutiny after a series of recent police officer resignations and arrests for alleged abuses of the company’s tools. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
SILVER SPRING, MD - AUGUST 19: Traffic flows past an Axon brand automatic license plate reader (ALPR) camera in the median of 16th Street near the border of Maryland and the District of Columbia on August 19, 2026 in Silver Spring, Maryland. Law enforcement technology company Flock, which runs a nationwide network of automated license plate readers (ALPR), introduced new safety controls last week in an effort to curb scrutiny after a series of recent police officer resignations and arrests for alleged abuses of the company’s tools. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
SILVER SPRING, MD - AUGUST 19: Traffic flows past an Axon brand automatic license plate reader (ALPR) camera in the median of 16th Street near the border of Maryland and the District of Columbia on August 19, 2026 in Silver Spring, Maryland. Law enforcement technology company Flock, which runs a nationwide network of automated license plate readers (ALPR), introduced new safety controls last week in an effort to curb scrutiny after a series of recent police officer resignations and arrests for alleged abuses of the company’s tools. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
TAKOMA PARK, MD - AUGUST 19: An automatic license plate reader (ALPR) camera monitors traffic at the intersection of Flower and Houston avenues on August 19, 2026 in Silver Spring, Maryland. Takoma Park has contracted with artificial intelligence company Obvio to install and operate more than 20 traffic cameras in the two-square-mile city in the Washington, DC, suburbs. Law enforcement technology company Flock, which runs a nationwide network of automated license plate readers (ALPR), introduced new safety controls last week in an effort to curb scrutiny after a series of recent police officer resignations and arrests for alleged abuses of the company’s tools. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Overview

  • Last week Flock said it will make an audit tool mandatory for law enforcement searches, require each query to be tied to a criminal case number, and shorten default camera data retention from 30 days to seven days.
  • Flock’s Drones as First Responders business is expanding quickly, with the company reporting more than 200 customers and aircraft that can fly at 60 mph, reach incidents in under two minutes on average, and read license plates from the air.
  • Dozens of local governments and homeowners associations have paused or ended contracts with Flock, including at least six Arkansas cities and the town of Stow, Massachusetts, and Renton, Washington has kept cameras powered down while it holds a public town hall.
  • Reporting has documented dozens of alleged officer misuses of Flock data that led to firings, arrests, or discipline, and Stow police say an officer has been placed on leave and faces termination and possible criminal charges for improper searches.
  • Access rules differ widely across agencies, transparency portals show some systems grant hundreds of outside agencies search rights, and advocates and local officials say the company’s reforms leave unresolved questions about cross‑jurisdiction sharing, audits, and possible state or local regulation.