Cities Remove Flock Safety Cameras After Contract Disputes
Multiple U.S. cities have terminated contracts with Flock Safety and manually disabled or removed license plate readers after the company failed to meet removal deadlines.
Several municipalities across Virginia and Minnesota have terminated their contracts with Flock Safety, leading to disputes over the removal of automated license plate readers. In Henrico County, Virginia, officials ended the agreement on October 14, citing concerns regarding data collection, access, and privacy. After the company missed its removal deadline, the county deployed over 100 Public Works employees on October 31 to manually remove 128 defunct cameras.
Similar conflicts emerged in Minnesota. The Plymouth City Council voted in September to end its contract, but after the company failed to respond for over a month, Police Chief Eric Fadden ordered staff to physically disconnect power cords to ensure the devices stopped recording. In Dayton, Minnesota, the city voted to cancel its contract on August 25, yet Flock allegedly reconnected two cameras without authorization despite specific requests from local police to halt work orders.
Other Minnesota cities, including St. Paul and Crystal, have also halted their surveillance programs and removed equipment. Flock Safety has stated it respects the decisions of these cities and is working to remove the hardware, noting that the process can take up to 60 days. Flock CEO Garrett Langley has defended the technology, arguing that society should not pause progress to ensure criminals are held accountable.
