Flock has not terminated police customers over misuse, CEO says
Flock CEO Garrett Langley said the Atlanta, Georgia-based license plate reader company has not terminated a police department or other law-enforcement customer over abuse of its systems. Speaking with TechCrunch editor-in-chief Connie Loizos at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 in San Francisco, Langley addressed criticism of how police users have accessed Flock’s nationwide database of license plate detections.
Flock operates more than 100,000 cameras in the United States. Its systems enable local police departments and federal agencies to identify where license plates, and people travelling in vehicles, have passed cameras. Law-enforcement customers can search beyond their own jurisdictions through Flock’s central national database.
Threshold for ending a customer relationship
Langley said Flock would end a relationship where there was clear and widespread abuse. He also said a customer that knowingly broke the law would be removed immediately. But he said the company has not so far “fired” a customer, including a police department or law-enforcement agency.
He described the decision as more difficult when alleged misuse involves a limited number of officers within a larger department. In that situation, Langley said, Flock has debated internally whether withdrawing the product would deny a community a tool it may use in efforts to fight crime. He said ending a relationship remains possible in a sufficiently serious law-abiding issue.
The context for the remarks includes reporting on dozens of officers who were arrested, fired or told to resign after allegedly abusing access to Flock data, often to stalk people without permission. The surveillance and public-safety questions surrounding the company were already central to Flock’s Disrupt surveillance debate as Flock prepared to appear at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026.
Privacy, accuracy and community opposition
Flock has become a focal point in the surveillance debate. Some towns, cities and communities have cancelled their agreements or allowed them to expire, citing privacy concerns. There have also been reports that cameras were reactivated against customers’ wishes, leading some residents to cover or destroy devices.
Demonstrators gathered outside the Moscone Center while Langley was on stage. Ashley Ortiz of the local activist group The Wolves called for local lawmakers to take constituents’ concerns more seriously and questioned whether AI-powered mass surveillance should make people feel safe.
Langley argued that license plate tracking helps departments solve crimes faster and cited the recovery of a stolen vehicle with a baby inside as an example. Flock has also faced criticism over cybersecurity and camera-accuracy issues that have been linked to police stops and wrongful arrests. The company has no direct contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, although ICE has reportedly accessed Flock data through local police partners.
What customers should demand
For public agencies and businesses deploying large-scale data systems, the dispute underlines the need for explicit misuse thresholds, auditable access records and clear remedies before a contract begins. A supplier’s policy should establish who can investigate abuse, what evidence triggers suspension, and when service can be terminated.