Overview
- The LAPD allowed its three‑year agreement with Flock Safety to lapse and suspended department access to the company’s plate‑reader data after the contract expired on Saturday, leaving footage stored in Flock’s cloud until a new deal is reached.
- An Office of the Inspector General review found the ALPR system produced 161 false stolen‑vehicle flags over a two‑month audit period and 337 alerts that led to recoveries, raising concerns about wrongful stops and data accuracy.
- The Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners voted to pause new Flock camera deployments and adopt inspector‑general recommendations requiring Police Commission approval for vendor contracts, annual audits, and standardized reporting of ALPR‑initiated stops.
- LAPD officials say proposed contract changes would give the city ownership of images and metadata, bar Flock from sharing or using the data for commercial purposes, and require written breach notice within 24 hours; Flock says it was surprised and hopes to resume the partnership.
- The action adds to a national movement: roughly 5,000 agencies use Flock but dozens of cities have suspended or ended contracts after audits and reports alleged wide data access, a tested ‘national lookup’ feature, misuse by users, and community backlash that has included camera vandalism.