Flock Safety deploys automated audits to catch rogue police
- Flock Safety built algorithmic audits to catch officers using plate readers for illegal personal stalking.
- Automated audit flags led a Georgia police chief to fire nine officers in a single day.
- Critics warn default seven-day data limits fail because municipal contracts override company software settings.
Mass surveillance hardware built to catch criminals is now catching the police officers using it.
On Breaking Points, discussions highlighted a fierce public backlash brewing across rural red counties and urban blue cities against automated license plate cameras. In Sullivan County, Tennessee, Commissioner Joe Carr publicly accused the company of treason. Meanwhile, officers in multiple states faced allegations of using camera databases to stalk ex-spouses and personal acquaintances. A Wisconsin police chief even threatened background checks on citizens protesting the cameras.
The pushback forced software maker Flock Safety to alter its core platform mechanics. The company introduced mandatory criminal case code entries for searches and lowered its default data retention period from 30 days down to seven.
Critics on Breaking Points argued these initial concessions offered minimal protection. Existing municipal contracts routinely override default seven-day deletion windows, while officers retain the ability to bypass case code mandates during unapproved emergencies.
"Private vendors run these surveillance networks outside democratic control. Citizens cannot vote out a software company."
- Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar
The narrative shifted the next day on All-In, where Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langley revealed the company took direct technical enforcement into its own hands. Langley detailed an algorithmic auditing tool that automatically flags abnormal search patterns, such as officers querying individual plates without linking them to official hotlists.
The algorithmic oversight yielded immediate consequences. Langley explained that police chiefs in Georgia used these automated flags to fire nine officers in a single day for illegal system searches and stalking behavior.
"Surveillance accountability only works when technology vendors enforce structural defaults rather than trusting agency self-policing."
- Garrett Langley, All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg
Beyond software audits, Flock Safety is expanding into autonomous rooftop drones that launch during 911 calls, flying at 60 miles per hour with 40x optical zoom to stream video before officers arrive. Langley emphasized that Flock refuses to integrate facial recognition or person searches, drawing a sharp line against competitors selling full-video surveillance.
Community governance now faces a stark choice between immediate emergency response tools and localized privacy controls.
Source Intelligence
- Deep dive into what was said in the episodes
Flock CEO Garrett Langley on Controversy, "Surveillance State" Claims, and Privacy vs Safety • Aug 18
- Garrett Langley details how Flock Safety differentiates itself from competitors by refusing to integrate facial recognition or video capture. Some competitors actively sell these features alongside capabilities to search for individuals rather than vehicles.
- Drones represent Flock Safety's fastest-growing business unit. Garrett Langley explains that these drones deploy instantly during 911 calls, flying at 60 miles per hour up to 400 feet with 40x optical zoom to assess emergency scenes.
Also discussed on this episode: (11)
Startups (3)
- Garrett Langley reports that Flock Safety has expanded to more than 6,000 cities. In July alone, the system helped law enforcement locate 1,125 missing people and recover over 20,000 stolen cars.
- Garrett Langley states that Flock Safety recently reduced its default data retention period from 30 days to 7 days. Langley estimates that 90 percent of crimes utilizing license plate data are solved within this seven-day window.
- Garrett Langley reveals that automated license plate readers now account for just under 50 percent of Flock Safety's forward-looking revenue. The remaining portion is driven by newer product lines like drones, live video, and software.
Society (2)
- Garrett Langley argues that the remaining ten percent of crimes require longer retention because of delayed discoveries, such as late-reported sexual assaults. Some states mandate longer terms, including New Jersey, which requires five years of storage.
- Garrett Langley argues that safety in the United States is currently unequal and correlated with wealth and race. Langley asserts that affluent citizens secure their homes with private security, leaving low-income communities reliant on public technologies like Flock.
Corruption (2)
- To combat internal police abuse, Flock Safety launched an automated audit tool four months ago. Garrett Langley notes the software flags abnormal behavior, such as an officer repeatedly searching a specific license plate without listing it department-wide.
- Garrett Langley reports that Flock Safety's auditing tools recently exposed widespread policy violations, leading a Georgia police department to fire nine officers. Langley states that the auditing feature is now a mandatory system requirement for all clients.
Social Media (1)
- Social media activism has driven individuals to vandalize Flock Safety cameras. Garrett Langley notes that a suspect in Illinois or Ohio faces 15 to 20 years in prison for committing a felony by cutting down a camera.
Privacy (1)
- Jason Calacanis notes that approximately 60 to 70 cities have canceled their Flock Safety contracts due to privacy backlash. Garrett Langley clarifies that close to 20 of those cities have already reversed their decisions and turned the cameras back on.
Digital Sovereignty (2)
- State laws governing license plate readers vary significantly across the United States. Garrett Langley points out that New Hampshire limits data storage to just three minutes, while Washington allows a maximum of 21 days.
- Garrett Langley notes that database abuse is an industry-wide issue, citing a Washington Post report of 7,000 abuses of California's state database in a single year.