GoKawiilI have up-close experience with Flock, as my current city, Bend, Oregon, ended its contract with surveillance company Flock Safety earlier this year, after a public campaign protesting the cams -- and a few very active city council meetings. Flock's controversial AI-powered license plate cameras were shut down, and its partnership with local law enforcement ended over privacy concerns.
We weren't the only city to reject Flock cameras: In the past two years, dozens of towns have suspended or deactivated contracts with Flock over concerns about how the cameras could be used and weak contract language. But you might not even know if Flock has come to your town: Sometimes these automated license plate readers, or ALPRs, appear in neighborhoods without warning.
Read more: State Laws Against Surveillance and License Plate Cams
Flock gripped news headlines late last year when it was under the microscope during widespread crackdowns by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Though Flock doesn't have a direct partnership with federal agencies (a blurry line I'll discuss more), law enforcement agencies are free to share data with departments like ICE, and they frequently do.
One study from the Center for Human Rights at the University of Washington found that at least eight Washington law enforcement agencies shared their Flock data networks directly with ICE in 2025, and 10 more departments allowed ICE backdoor access without explicitly granting the agency permission. Many other reports outline similar activity.
Following Super Bowl ads about finding lost dogs, Flock was under scrutiny about its planned partnership with Ring, Amazon's security brand. The integration would have allowed police to request the use of Ring-brand home security cameras for investigations. Following intense public backlash, Ring cut ties with Flock just like my city did.
To learn more, I spoke to Flock about how the company's surveillance technology is used (and misused). I also spoke with privacy advocates from the American Civil Liberties Union to discuss surveillance concerns and what communities are doing about it.
What it means when Flock Safety sets up in your neighborhood
Flock's presence means license plate cameras -- and these days, much more. Bloomberg/Contributor/Getty Images
If you hear that Flock is setting up near you, it usually means the installation of ALPR cameras to capture license plate photos and monitor cars on the street.
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