Flock Promotes Police Departments While Hiding Their Misuse of Its Surveillance Tech

Flock, a provider of automated license plate reader technology to police departments, has promoted at least four police agencies on its YouTube channel despite those same departments facing allegations of misusing the surveillance system, according to reporting by Wired and 404 Media.

The cases reveal a pattern of officers using Flock's cameras for purposes beyond law enforcement. A former Florida police officer used the system to track a woman he met on a television set. In New Bedford, Massachusetts, an officer was accused of using Flock cameras to monitor an ex-romantic partner. A woman in Wisconsin was pulled over at gunpoint twice after a Flock camera glitch. The Brown County Sheriff's Department in Wisconsin used Flock cameras to track and arrest a man for purchasing marijuana in Michigan.

How Police Are Hiding the Technology

While Flock markets itself as a transparent company committed to accountability, some police departments are actively concealing its use. Wapello County, Iowa, has a policy explicitly instructing officers not to disclose Flock's involvement in arrests. The policy states: "DO NOT MENTION ALPR USAGE TO THE OCCUPANTS OF THE VEHICLE" and "DO NOT MENTION ALPR USAGE IN YOUR REPORT OR COMPLAINT UNLESS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY."

Flock now operates in thousands of cities and towns across the United States, but how and why police departments use the system varies widely, even as the company claims to provide auditing and transparency tools.

Coaching Police to Promote the Technology

404 Media obtained a coaching guide that Flock provides to police departments on "how to speak to city councils about public safety technology." The handbook instructs police to "own the narrative before someone else does" by championing the technology before citizens can voice opposition during public comment periods.

The guide acknowledges that the public increasingly expects "transparency, oversight, and accountability" and advises police not to argue with people who characterize license plate readers as "mass surveillance." Instead, it recommends a different rhetorical approach.

Public Resistance

Not all cities have accepted Flock's pitch. Norman, Oklahoma, has rejected the company's proposal to install its cameras multiple times, citing concerns about privacy and data security.