Flock CEO Addresses Customer Contract Controversy
Flock CEO Garrett Langley stated that his company has not terminated any contracts with customers over misuse of its products, speaking at the Disrupt 2026 conference in San Francisco.
In conversation with TechCrunch editor-in-chief Connie Loizos, Langley addressed mounting criticism regarding police departments' misuse of Flock's license plate reader cameras. The scrutiny follows extensive reporting that has identified dozens of police officers who were arrested, fired, or forced to resign after abusing their access to Flock's nationwide database of license plate detectionsβoften to stalk individuals without authorization.
No Customers 'Fired' to Date
Langley told Loizos that while the company would end a relationship with a customer in cases of clear, widespread abuse of its systems, it has not to date "fired" a customer, such as a police department or law enforcement agency.
"If a customer knowingly broke the law, we would fire them immediately. That's very easy," Langley said.
He explained that Flock has debated the issue internally but ultimately argued against removing its product from communities that may need it for crime-fighting efforts.
"Most of the debate is nuanced into 'what if two officers out of fifty were caught?' Today, we haven't fired any customers, but it's not off the table in the case of some pretty drastic law-abiding issue," Langley added.
Broader Controversies and Community Pushback
The abuse of Flock's systems and collected data represents the latest in a series of controversies involving the Atlanta, Georgia-based manufacturer of license plate reader cameras. Flock operates more than 100,000 cameras across the United States, enabling local police departments and federal agencies to track vehicle license plates and individuals passing by.
By allowing law enforcement customers to track license plates outside their jurisdictions, some police departments can monitor vehicles across the entire country through Flock's national central database.
Flock has become a flashpoint in the surveillance debate, prompting towns, cities, and communities to reject the company's cameras by canceling contracts or allowing them to expire, citing privacy concerns. There have been multiple reports of Flock reactivating cameras against customers' wishes, leading local residents to tape trash bags over the cameras or, in some cases, destroy them.
Protest Outside Disrupt Event
While Langley spoke on the Disrupt Stage, demonstrators gathered outside the venue to protest Flock's AI-powered surveillance. Some wore costumes resembling the red robes from "The Handmaid's Tale" and cardboard replicas of Flock cameras on their heads, while clips from the film adaptation of "1984" played over a loudspeaker behind them. Others carried signs reading "Flock off" or "Flock = ICE."
ICE Access and Federal Collaboration
Flock does not have a direct contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), but the agency has reportedly accessed Flock data in the past through collaboration with other agencies.
via TechCrunch