Overview
- San Francisco announced new rules on Tuesday that require Flock data to be removed from the vendor after 30 days, force officers to attach an incident or CAD number to every search, and add monthly log reviews with requested annual audits by the city’s police oversight body.
- A San Francisco Human Rights Commission report found the SFPD did not violate the city’s sanctuary law but recommended five steps to tighten oversight, including tighter documentation, control of nationwide lookup settings, and more transparency about camera options.
- Privacy groups obtained logs showing the New York Police Department searched Flock’s national database 1,710 times between March 2023 and December 2025, with many entries listing vague or no justification for the searches.
- Local reactions range from Dallas deactivating 321 state-funded Flock cameras after Texas rescinded grants to Alexandria ordering a public map of cameras, Lansing protesters blocking units and seeking contract terminations, and repeated vandalism of Flock cameras in Toledo.
- Flock has rolled out guardrails such as a standardized offense field introduced in December 2025 and a planned requirement for case numbers on searches, but officials and advocates say major questions remain about past data sharing, long-term retention and enforceable legal limits.