Flock Announces End to Controversial Audio Surveillance Program

The backlash against the Flock cameras is growing, forcing some municipalities to pause the use of certain aspects of these tools. Here is what you need to know about a major decision made by the surveillance company.

Flock Cancels Its Audio Surveillance Feature Amid Growing Criticism

Americans are speaking out against the use of Flock cameras. Developed by the company Flock Safety, these solar-powered, motion-activated automated license plate readers (ALPRs) are most commonly placed on street corners and along major streets. The cameras can capture still images of vehicles passing through their view. The technology is then able to rely on AI to record license plates, vehicle make, color, and other distinct features of the car.

Law enforcement agencies can use the data and images provided by the cameras to compare license plates with those on hot lists to potentially solve crimes. While the technology certainly has its benefits, many people believe that the constant surveillance is an invasion of privacy.

The growing anti-Flock community is seeing a surge of interest online, prompting some people to sabotage the surveillance systems by hacking and blinding the cameras. Amidst all of this resistance by the community, the company recently announced that it is canceling its controversial audio surveillance feature.

On Friday, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) announced that Flock was ending what it called its "human distress detection" pilot program. This program used continual audio surveillance to monitor public spaces for the sounds of human screaming. The feature was engineered to assist law enforcement in identifying potential violent incidents.

Flock said that "after careful consideration and community consultation," they decided to remove the feature. In addition to the blatant privacy concerns, the audio surveillance was also coming under fire because law enforcement could potentially use the feature to swarm any given area without merit.

While Flock still has several other tools at its disposal, civil liberties advocates are applauding the public campaign to turn up the pressure to remove this feature. The decision by Flock to cancel this angle of the surveillance is being hailed by some as an example of what can be achieved when people come together for a common cause. According to EFF, Flock’s decision is proof that “public pressure can sometimes work to influence both companies and lawmakers that control a city’s purse strings to discontinue or divest from harmful products.”

Los Angeles Police Department Pausing Use of Flock Cameras

The recent decision by Flock to end its audio surveillance program comes just one week after the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) paused its contract with Flock. LAPD issued a statement noting that the agency "wanted to address some of the civil liberty and civil rights concerns and ensure that there is clarity over the terms regarding privacy, data ownership and security."

Flock responded to the pause by saying that they were disappointed in the decision by LAPD but remained committed to addressing the concerns in an effort to find "a path forward." The company wrote in a statement that "Flock has been working with LAPD to ensure that any continued use of our technology included strong privacy protections, strict auditability, clear accountability, and appropriate limits around data access."

Flock had come under fire by residents of Southern California who said that the company was violating state law by sharing its surveillance data with out-of-state and federal law enforcement agencies. However, LAPD Commander Randy Goddard maintained that the police department has never shared the data with the federal government, noting that LAPD is the "sole and exclusive owner of all data and information."

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) confirmed that there are currently 298 ALPRs mounted on poles throughout Los Angeles. This is in addition to the over 1,600 ALPRs mounted on top of or inside LAPD vehicles. West Los Angeles is home to the largest concentration of cameras in the metro area.

It should be noted that the LAPD will maintain its ALPR contracts with Axon and Motorola. The agency said that these contracts are expected to remain active despite the pause with Flock, as the other two companies employ stricter data security protocols.

According to an OIG review in August and September of 2025, these cameras helped law enforcement to make 74 arrests. The OIG report detailed that the ALPR readings resulted in the recovery of 337 stolen vehicles. However, the cameras also led to 161 traffic stops of vehicles that had not actually been stolen.

A few months ago, the Ventura County Sheriff's Office and other law enforcement agencies in this jurisdiction began researching alternative vendors for these ALPR services. This agency said that they made the decision to explore other options after discovering that Flock had mistakenly shared the data with law enforcement agencies located outside of California.

The bottom line is that Flock's future is on shaky ground as it continues to face pressure from both civilians and local governments.

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