Key facts
- The Los Angeles Police Department will not renew its contract with Flock Safety.
- LAPD cited concerns over privacy, civil liberties, data ownership, and security.
- An LAPD audit noted worries about federal agencies accessing Flock's license plate data.
- Flock Safety has faced similar contract terminations from other police departments since 2025.
- Mistakes by Flock's license plate readers have led to wrongful stops and arrests.
The Los Angeles Police Department has decided not to renew its contract with Flock Safety, a surveillance company that operates a network of license plate-reading cameras. A department spokesperson cited concerns regarding civil liberties, civil rights, privacy, data ownership, and security as the reasons for letting the agreement expire.
An audit report released by the LAPD in July indicated that the department had a three-year agreement with Flock, which had deployed 138 cameras across the city since July 2023. The audit raised concerns that federal agencies, including immigration enforcement, could potentially access the data collected by Flock without the knowledge or consent of local law enforcement agencies. This issue was previously highlighted in a 2025 report by the University of Washington's Center for Human Rights, which detailed a pilot program allowing federal access to license plate data.
The LAPD's decision reflects a broader trend, as a growing number of police jurisdictions have ended their associations with Flock Safety since 2025. Notable examples include Mountain View, Santa Cruz, Santa Clara County, South Pasadena, Flagstaff, and Hillsborough, North Carolina. In some instances, disengaging from the company has proven challenging, with incidents in Dayton, Ohio, and Evanston, Illinois, involving cameras being covered or reinstalled after removal attempts.
Flock Safety's technology has also been linked to errors, with automated license plate readers misidentifying vehicles and leading to dangerous situations for innocent drivers, including being stopped at gunpoint or arrested. The company has faced other setbacks, including Amazon's Ring canceling a planned partnership earlier in 2026. Separately, federal charges were announced against a Texas man for allegedly making threats to Flock's voicemail, accusing the company of constitutional violations.
A spokesperson for Flock Safety stated that the company intends to engage in further discussions with the LAPD to address what it described as "misconceptions" and hopes to reinstate their partnership.