Flock CEO Faces Backlash as Camera Controversy Grows
Garrett Langley, CEO of Flock Safety, is navigating a challenging period as more Americans express their discontent with surveillance cameras. His company operates approximately 120,000 license plate cameras across the U.S., but 2026 has seen a rising trend of these cameras being taken down. Various city councils are starting to end contracts with Flock, and residents in multiple states have taken action by covering camera lenses, wrapping poles, and even removing the devices altogether. Just last month, a grand jury in Ohio chose not to indict a man who was caught on video destroying a Flock camera.
In recent weeks, Langley has been apologizing and acknowledging shortcomings in his company’s products. When asked if Flock should have implemented better safeguards earlier, he admitted that they should have. He noted that the visibility of his company’s cameras makes them an easy target for public anger, saying, “It’s simpler to identify a company like us as a villain.”
Florida Leads the Charge Against License Plate Readers
Florida has taken significant steps against license plate readers, the most extensive government action to date. The state’s transport department has ordered police to remove these automated systems from state highways, giving agencies just 30 days to comply. This ban includes devices from competitors like Axon and Motorola, prompted by reports of misuse and growing privacy concerns. As a result, the sheriff from Jacksonville has already halted the use of these cameras, with counties like Pasco and Manatee moving to eliminate them as well. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis hinted at this decision, expressing concerns that the technology collects more data than the public is aware of.
Rising Cancellations of Flock Contracts
The number of contracts canceled with Flock is increasing at an alarming rate. Just days before Florida’s announcement, Texas directed its agencies to stop funding for these cameras following serious allegations against a police officer. In Wisconsin, the mayor of Menasha has shielded all cameras, while a sheriff in Tennessee has paused operations on 70 devices. An advocacy group in Oakland reported that 214 cities and counties have dropped Flock since 2021, with 93 cancellations occurring just in August—four times the number from July.
Despite this turmoil, Flock emphasizes that new partnerships are still outpacing cancellations. A spokesperson claimed that the company has formed relationships with more than 5,000 communities this year, suggesting the ratio of new contracts to cancellations is about ten to one. Langley believes that cities choosing to avoid Flock’s cameras are opting for a less safe environment.
Privacy Changes Fail to Satisfy Critics
In response to the backlash, Flock announced changes to its privacy policies in August. They reduced the default data retention period from 30 days to just seven, committed to enabling an abuse detection tool for all law enforcement customers by year’s end, and introduced stricter measures for data searches. Langley has stressed that any misuse of the technology is intolerable.
However, advocacy groups like the ACLU and EFF remain skeptical. They are calling for an external review of the new measures and questioning whether the solutions are genuinely effective or merely superficial. A civil rights attorney pointed out that officers can still search extensively by entering any case number, and extended data retention options are still possible through a feature called Evidence Mode.
Langley aims for a balance between safety and privacy and insists that Flock is not a surveillance state. He has warned officers that any abuse of the system will eventually be detected. Meanwhile, those who are dismantling his surveillance cameras do not seem interested in waiting to see if that promise holds true.
