Flock Safety CEO Cites New Guardrails After Officer Misuse Reports
The company's public response to documented abuse cases signals growing federal and local scrutiny of private license plate reader networks embedded in U.S. law enforcement infrastructure.
Flock Safety CEO and founder Garrett Langley stated in a Bloomberg interview published August 14, 2026, that the company is implementing new privacy guardrails following reports that some police officers misused its license plate reader technology. Langley said the company intends to hold individuals accountable for unauthorized use of its cameras and data systems, while maintaining the public safety functions the platform provides to law enforcement agencies across the United States.
Flock Safety provides automated license plate reader (ALPR) technology to hundreds of local police departments and municipalities under contract. Those contracts are subject to disclosure under public records laws at the state and local level. The company has not, as of this writing, published a comprehensive list of all active government contracts. USASpending.gov records and individual agency procurement filings would be the primary public sources for identifying federally funded Flock Safety deployments.
The misuse cases referenced by Langley have not been catalogued in a single public record. Individual incidents of alleged officer misconduct involving ALPR data would appear in internal affairs records, state oversight board filings, or court documents, depending on the jurisdiction. The specific number of confirmed misuse incidents, the agencies involved, and any disciplinary outcomes remain unknown from currently available public records.
The use of private surveillance technology by government agencies has drawn legislative attention at the federal level. Bills introduced in the 119th Congress, including proposals related to digital privacy and law enforcement data access, have addressed ALPR regulation in committee proceedings, though no comprehensive federal ALPR statute has been enacted as of this publication date. Congressional record searches under terms including 'license plate reader' and 'automated vehicle identification' would surface relevant hearing transcripts and bill text.
What remains unknown is the full scope of Flock Safety's government contracts, the total number of confirmed misuse cases, and whether any federal agency has opened a formal review of ALPR data practices. A Freedom of Information Act request to the Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance, combined with state-level public records requests to individual police departments, would be the appropriate instruments to establish a complete public record on this matter.