What happened
US cities from Florida to Washington state are canceling Flock Safety's AI license-plate reader contracts after bipartisan public outcry — 214 jurisdictions have dropped the company since 2021.
US cities from Florida to Washington state are canceling Flock's AI license-plate reader contracts after a bipartisan public backlash.
But quitting is not a clean break: cameras often stay up, and contracts let Flock keep data collected long before the town left.
Sheboygan and Stevens Point, Wisconsin quit over data-sharing scandals; Bridgewater, Virginia bagged its cameras after 7 million searches in a year.
Flock now mandates case codes for searches, flags abnormal queries, and cut default data retention from 30 days to seven.
Critics call the reforms PR. Ex-Flock cities like South Pasadena and Durango are eyeing rivals — often Axon, an even more integrated system.
EFF's Saira Hussain: moving to another vendor will not stop mass surveillance; the fix is not relying on this technology at all.
What is still unclear
What Flock can do with data already collected in de-Flocking towns — and how long it stays searchable — differs by contract and remains unresolved, per EFF's review of dozens of municipal deals.
What happens next
Ex-Flock cities like South Pasadena, California and Durango, Colorado are evaluating rival systems — largely Axon, which EFF says stacks body-camera data streams on top of plate readers for an arguably deeper surveillance system.
Key numbers
214 cities and counties have dropped Flock since 2021. Ninety jurisdictions ended contracts in August 2026 alone — about three cancellations per day.
Key developments (6)
Follow-up events appended to this developing story
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214 jurisdictions drop Flock since 2021
90 jurisdictions ended contracts in August 2026 alone, a fourfold increase from July, averaging about three cancellations per day, per anti-surveillance group Secure Justice.
Source: TechSpot -
Bridgewater, VA: 7 million Flock searches in 12 months
Despite having fewer than 7,000 residents, data collected in Bridgewater was searched 7 million times by law enforcement over a 12-month period due to the town's information-sharing agreement with Flock.
Source: The Verge -
Flock cuts data retention from 30 days to seven
In response to mounting criticism, Flock rolled out new guardrails: case codes are now required for every search, Audit Assistance flags abnormal queries, and the default retention period was reduced from 30 to seven days.
Source: The Verge -
Sheboygan ends Flock contract over data-selling report
Lawmakers in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, unanimously voted to end the city's Flock contract after learning that Flock reportedly tried to sell anonymized data collected in Sheboygan back to the city's public works department.
Source: The Verge -
Ex-Flock cities turn to Axon as alternatives
Some cities that ended their Flock relationships are now evaluating rival vendors, largely Axon, which EFF argues stacks body-camera data streams on top of plate readers for an even deeper surveillance system.
Source: The Verge -
Texas Governor blocks state funding for Flock
Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered all state agencies to stop funding Flock Safety, days after his Democratic challenger released a campaign ad warning about '10,000 Flock cameras' in the state.
Source: The Outpost
Why it matters for me
Ending the contract doesn't pull cameras down or delete collected data — many deals let Flock keep the data, and some towns are switching to rival vendors like Axon, which EFF says is even more integrated.
Privacy
General Public · Privacy Advocates
Canceling Flock doesn't wipe the slate — already-collected plate data can remain searchable under many contracts.
Money
Policy Makers
Towns quitting Flock face fresh budget choices — Texas alone put $30M+ in grants into the cameras — and switching vendors may not cut surveillance costs.
Safety · Daily Life
General Public
Reports of officers using Flock to track partners and abortion-ban suspects have made search audits and retention rules a resident-safety issue.
What to remember
De-Flocking ends the contract, not the surveillance — the data lingers and the cameras may just change brands.
Canceling Flock doesn't delete your data — and the next vendor may be worse.
Verified sources (4)
What happens after a town de-Flocks
↗Cities are dropping Flock's surveillance cameras at a record pace
↗Flock Safety Faces Backlash as 214 Cities Drop AI Surveillance
↗Lynchburg City Council votes to end Flock Safety contract amid surveillance concerns
↗Claims and linked sources
8 claimsLocal governments across the US, from Florida to Washington state, are canceling Flock Safety contracts in response to public outcry, in a bipartisan backlash.
214 cities and counties have dropped Flock since 2021, including 90 in August 2026 alone — roughly three cancellations a day.
Ending a Flock contract does not guarantee cameras come down or collected data is deleted; many contracts let Flock retain data long after collection.
Data collected in Bridgewater, Virginia (population under 7,000) was searched 7 million times by law enforcement over 12 months, per the Virginia Center for Investigative Journalism.
Flock now mandates case codes for all searches, mandates an Audit Assistance feature flagging abnormal queries, and cut default data retention from 30 days to seven.
Flock says new city partnerships have outpaced nonrenewals by roughly 10 to one in 2026, with products used by more than 5,000 communities.
Some de-Flocked cities, including South Pasadena and Durango, are considering alternative vendors — a shift that has enriched Axon, whose system EFF argues is even more integrated.
EFF's Saira Hussain: You're not going to be able to stop this mass surveillance technology by moving to another vendor. The only thing that is going to solve this whole problem is not relying on this technology.