Flock Safety

Flock Safety, a surveillance technology company, offers an integrated ecosystem of hardware and software including solar-powered automatic license plate readers (ALPRs), AI-powered video cameras, acoustic gunshot detection sensors, and drones from its Aerodome acquisition for 'drone as first responder' systems. Specific products include the Falcon and Sparrow license plate readers and the Raven gunshot detection system, with software integrating with Axon dashcams used by police.

set Axon link as internal | ← Older revision | Revision as of 23:01, 11 August 2026 | || | One intermediate revision by the same user not shown | ||| | Line 46: | Line 46: | || Flock Safety offers an integrated ecosystem of surveillance hardware and software marketed as a public safety platform.<ref name=":2" {{Cite web |date= |title=Flock Safety Product Hub |url=https://www.flocksafety.com/products |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/nrO4U |archive-date=27 May 2026 |access-date=7 Jan 2026 |website=Flock Safety}}</ref The hardware component includes solar-powered ALPRs;<ref name=":2" / video cameras with AI-powered analytics for people and vehicle detection;<ref name=":2" / acoustic sensors that identify gunshots and breaking glass for real-time alerts;<ref name=":2" / and drones acquired through Aerodome for "drone as first responder" systems automatically dispatched to emergency calls.<ref name=":1" / <ref {{Cite web |date=17 Oct 2024 |title=Flock Expands Into Drones |url=https://www.flocksafety.com/blog/flock-safety-expands-into-drones-for-law-enforcement-with-acquisition-of-aerodome |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/GZwp4 |archive-date=20 May 2026 |access-date=7 Jan 2026 |website=Flock Safety}}</ref | Flock Safety offers an integrated ecosystem of surveillance hardware and software marketed as a public safety platform.<ref name=":2" {{Cite web |date= |title=Flock Safety Product Hub |url=https://www.flocksafety.com/products |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/nrO4U |archive-date=27 May 2026 |access-date=7 Jan 2026 |website=Flock Safety}}</ref The hardware component includes solar-powered ALPRs;<ref name=":2" / video cameras with AI-powered analytics for people and vehicle detection;<ref name=":2" / acoustic sensors that identify gunshots and breaking glass for real-time alerts;<ref name=":2" / and drones acquired through Aerodome for "drone as first responder" systems automatically dispatched to emergency calls.<ref name=":1" / <ref {{Cite web |date=17 Oct 2024 |title=Flock Expands Into Drones |url=https://www.flocksafety.com/blog/flock-safety-expands-into-drones-for-law-enforcement-with-acquisition-of-aerodome |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/GZwp4 |archive-date=20 May 2026 |access-date=7 Jan 2026 |website=Flock Safety}}</ref | || Specific product models include the Falcon and Sparrow license plate readers, as well as the Raven gunshot detection system.<ref {{Cite web |last=Katz-Lecabe |first=Mike |title=Dissection of Flock Safety Camera |url=https://www.chrp.org/blog/dissection-of-flock-safety-camera |website=The Center for Human Rights and Privacy |date=1 Apr 2022 |access-date=7 Jan 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220430151222/https://www.cehrp.org/dissection-of-flock-safety-camera/ |archive-date=30 Apr 2022}}</ref Flock's software integrates with police vehicle systems, including widely-used | Specific product models include the Falcon and Sparrow license plate readers, as well as the Raven gunshot detection system.<ref {{Cite web |last=Katz-Lecabe |first=Mike |title=Dissection of Flock Safety Camera |url=https://www.chrp.org/blog/dissection-of-flock-safety-camera |website=The Center for Human Rights and Privacy |date=1 Apr 2022 |access-date=7 Jan 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220430151222/https://www.cehrp.org/dissection-of-flock-safety-camera/ |archive-date=30 Apr 2022}}</ref Flock's software integrates with police vehicle systems, including widely-used Axon dashcams.<ref {{Cite web |title=Axon Partners with Flock Safety to Enhance Security for Cities and Neighborhoods |url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/axon-partners-with-flock-safety-to-enhance-security-for-cities-and-neighborhoods-301033947.html |website=PR Newswire |date=2 Apr 2020 |access-date=7 Jan 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200404123408/https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/axon-partners-with-flock-safety-to-enhance-security-for-cities-and-neighborhoods-301033947.html |archive-date=4 Apr 2020}}</ref | || The software platform includes FlockOS, a real-time crime center platform that enables users to view maps and geographic data, body camera and drone feeds, 911 call data, as well as traffic camera and acoustic sensor data.<ref name=":8" / <ref {{Cite web |date=5 Aug 2025 |title=The Evolution of FlockOS: How Customer Feedback Continues to Shape the Future |url=https://www.flocksafety.com/blog/the-evolution-of-flockos-how-customer-feedback-continues-to-shape-the-future |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/PaFQu |archive-date=25 April 2026 |access-date=7 Jan 2026 |website=Flock Safety}}</ref FlockOS enables the National LPR Network, a nationwide database for sharing and searching LPR data across jurisdictions; and Flock Nova, a data analytics platform that integrates LPR data with law enforcement systems, such as Records Management Systems RMS and Computer-Aided Dispatch CAD , to identify patterns.<ref name=":2" / | The software platform includes FlockOS, a real-time crime center platform that enables users to view maps and geographic data, body camera and drone feeds, 911 call data, as well as traffic camera and acoustic sensor data.<ref name=":8" / <ref {{Cite web |date=5 Aug 2025 |title=The Evolution of FlockOS: How Customer Feedback Continues to Shape the Future |url=https://www.flocksafety.com/blog/the-evolution-of-flockos-how-customer-feedback-continues-to-shape-the-future |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/PaFQu |archive-date=25 April 2026 |access-date=7 Jan 2026 |website=Flock Safety}}</ref FlockOS enables the National LPR Network, a nationwide database for sharing and searching LPR data across jurisdictions; and Flock Nova, a data analytics platform that integrates LPR data with law enforcement systems, such as Records Management Systems RMS and Computer-Aided Dispatch CAD , to identify patterns.<ref name=":2" / | || | Line 65: | Line 65: | || Ethical and legal concerns: Some criticisms extend beyond business practices to the product's societal impact. Major civil liberties organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union ACLU have published analyses raising significant privacy and Fourth Amendment concerns about the technology.<ref name="ACLUStanley" / <ref name="ACLUStanley2" / | Ethical and legal concerns: Some criticisms extend beyond business practices to the product's societal impact. Major civil liberties organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union ACLU have published analyses raising significant privacy and Fourth Amendment concerns about the technology.<ref name="ACLUStanley" / <ref name="ACLUStanley2" / | || ===Data sharing with federal immigration authorities ''2025'' === | ===Data sharing with federal immigration authorities ''Early 2025-August 2025'' === | || Federal immigration enforcement agencies systematically accessed Flock's license plate data through multiple methods despite state laws prohibiting such sharing.<ref {{Cite web |last=Koebler | Federal immigration enforcement agencies systematically accessed Flock's license plate data through multiple methods despite state laws prohibiting such sharing.<ref {{Cite web |last=Koebler | || |first=Jason |last2=Cox |first2=Joseph |title=ICE Taps into Nationwide AI-Enabled Camera Network, Data Shows |url=https://www.404media.co/ice-taps-into-nationwide-ai-enabled-camera-network-data-shows/ |website=404 Media |date=27 May 2025 |access-date=7 Jan 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250527141200/https://www.404media.co/ice-taps-into-nationwide-ai-enabled-camera-network-data-shows/ |archive-date=27 May 2025}}</ref This included direct ''front door'' access where at least eight Washington law enforcement agencies enabled 1:1 data sharing with the U.S. Border Patrol,<ref name=":0" / ''back door'' access where Border Patrol searched data from at least ten Washington police departments without explicit authorization,<ref name=":0" / and ''side door'' searches where local officers conducted searches on behalf of ICE, visible only when officers typed reasons like ''ICE'' into search fields.<ref {{Cite web |last=Koebler |first=Jason |title=CBP Had Access to More than 80,000 Flock AI Cameras Nationwide |url=https://www.404media.co/cbp-had-access-to-more-than-80-000-flock-ai-cameras-nationwide/ |website=404 Media | |first=Jason |last2=Cox |first2=Joseph |title=ICE Taps into Nationwide AI-Enabled Camera Network, Data Shows |url=https://www.404media.co/ice-taps-into-nationwide-ai-enabled-camera-network-data-shows/ |website=404 Media |date=27 May 2025 |access-date=7 Jan 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250527141200/https://www.404media.co/ice-taps-into-nationwide-ai-enabled-camera-network-data-shows/ |archive-date=27 May 2025}}</ref This included direct ''front door'' access where at least eight Washington law enforcement agencies enabled 1:1 data sharing with the U.S. Border Patrol,<ref name=":0" / ''back door'' access where Border Patrol searched data from at least ten Washington police departments without explicit authorization,<ref name=":0" / and ''side door'' searches where local officers conducted searches on behalf of ICE, visible only when officers typed reasons like ''ICE'' into search fields.<ref {{Cite web |last=Koebler |first=Jason |title=CBP Had Access to More than 80,000 Flock AI Cameras Nationwide |url=https://www.404media.co/cbp-had-access-to-more-than-80-000-flock-ai-cameras-nationwide/ |website=404 Media | || |date=25 Aug 2025 |access-date=7 Jan 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250825211512/https://www.404media.co/cbp-had-access-to-more-than-80-000-flock-ai-cameras-nationwide/ |archive-date=25 Aug 2025}}</ref Internal Flock data revealed that CBP had access to more than 80,000 cameras nationwide, with searches conducted in multiple states, potentially violating state sanctuary laws.<ref {{Cite web |last=O'Connor |first=John |title=License plate camera company halts cooperation with federal agencies among investigation concerns |url=https://abc7.com/post/flock-safety-license-plate-camera-company-halts-cooperation-federal-agencies-among-investigation-concerns-including-il/17653876/ |website=ABC7 |date=26 Aug 2025 |access-date=7 Jan 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250827010855/https://abc7.com/post/flock-safety-license-plate-camera-company-halts-cooperation-federal-agencies-among-investigation-concerns-including-il/17653876/ |archive-date=27 Aug 2025}}</ref | |date=25 Aug 2025 |access-date=7 Jan 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250825211512/https://www.404media.co/cbp-had-access-to-more-than-80-000-flock-ai-cameras-nationwide/ |archive-date=25 Aug 2025}}</ref Internal Flock data revealed that CBP had access to more than 80,000 cameras nationwide, with searches conducted in multiple states, potentially violating state sanctuary laws.<ref {{Cite web |last=O'Connor |first=John |title=License plate camera company halts cooperation with federal agencies among investigation concerns |url=https://abc7.com/post/flock-safety-license-plate-camera-company-halts-cooperation-federal-agencies-among-investigation-concerns-including-il/17653876/ |website=ABC7 |date=26 Aug 2025 |access-date=7 Jan 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250827010855/https://abc7.com/post/flock-safety-license-plate-camera-company-halts-cooperation-federal-agencies-among-investigation-concerns-including-il/17653876/ |archive-date=27 Aug 2025}}</ref | || On August 25th, 2026, Flock Safety announced a pause on all ongoing pilot programs with Department of Homeland Security agencies, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection CBP .<ref name=":3" {{Cite web |last=Langley |first=Garrett |date=25 Aug 2025 |title=Ensuring Local Compliance |url=https://www.flocksafety.com/blog/ensuring-local-compliance |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/tdOCI |archive-date=25 April 2026 |access-date=7 Jan 2026 |website=Flock Safety}}</ref The company stated that the reason for this pause was to "ensure local compliance" and admitted its previous public statements had "inadvertently provided inaccurate information" about the level of access that federal authorities had to the company's network.<ref name=":3" / The decision followed investigations revealing systemic data sharing with federal immigration authorities that potentially violated state laws in Washington, Illinois, and other states with sanctuary protections.<ref name=":0" / A University of Washington Center for Human Rights report documented three methods of federal access: | ||| Front door access: At least eight Washington law enforcement agencies, including police departments in Yakima and Wenatchee, enabled direct data sharing with U.S. Border Patrol.<ref name=":0" / <ref name="wenatchee" {{Cite web |last=Gonzalez |first=Jordan |title=Flock Safety setting allowed U.S. Border Patrol access to Wenatchee Valley license plate data without police knowledge |url=https://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/local/flock-safety-setting-allowed-u-s-border-patrol-access-to-wenatchee-valley-license-plate-data/article 8335941e-161c-594d-bc51-a56e0bd7251b.html |website=The Wenatchee World |date=27 Oct 2025 |access-date=7 Jan 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251103210114/https://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/local/flock-safety-setting-allowed-u-s-border-patrol-access-to-wenatchee-valley-license-plate-data/article 8335941e-161c-594d-bc51-a56e0bd7251b.html |archive-date=3 Nov 2025}}</ref | ||| Back door access: A default ''National Lookup'' setting allowed Border Patrol to access data from at least ten Washington agencies without explicit authorization. Police chiefs in Wenatchee and East Wenatchee stated they were unaware of this setting and disabled it upon discovery.<ref name=":0" / <ref name="wenatchee" / | ||| Side door searches: Law enforcement officers conducted searches on behalf of ICE, visible only when officers typed reasons such as "ICE" or "illegal immigration" into search fields.<ref name=":0" / A public interest law firm noted Flock's pause of direct federal access does little to prevent this workaround, as "federal law enforcement cannot directly access this trove of information; they can just ask other Flock customers to run searches or share log-in information."<ref name="ij" {{Cite web |last=King |first=Dan |title=Public Interest Law Firm Responds to Flock Safety Pausing Federal Access to License Plate Reader Cameras |url=https://ij.org/press-release/public-interest-law-firm-responds-to-flock-safety-pausing-federal-access-to-license-plate-reader-cameras/ |website=Institute for Justice |date=26 Aug 2025 |access-date=7 Jan 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250925231824/https://ij.org/press-release/public-interest-law-firm-responds-to-flock-safety-pausing-federal-access-to-license-plate-reader-cameras/ |archive-date=25 Sep 2025}}</ref | ||| ===Investigation of abortion seeker in Johnson County, TX ''May 2025'' === | ===Investigation of abortion seeker in Johnson County, TX ''May 2025'' === | || | Line 81: | Line 89: | || File:Denver Open Data crime dataset DPD NIBRS.png|thumb|center|upright=2.6|Denver's own Open Data crime dataset, the Police Department's published record of NIBRS offenses for the City and County of Denver, is the source for the roughly 30% April year-over-year drop in auto theft cited here.<ref name="denver-opendata" / | File:Denver Open Data crime dataset DPD NIBRS.png|thumb|center|upright=2.6|Denver's own Open Data crime dataset, the Police Department's published record of NIBRS offenses for the City and County of Denver, is the source for the roughly 30% April year-over-year drop in auto theft cited here.<ref name="denver-opendata" / | || ===Prospective partnership with Nexar to integrate rideshare and delivery driver dashcams ''Aug 2025-Aug 2026'' === | ===Prospective partnership with Nexar to integrate rideshare and delivery driver dashcams ''Aug 2025-Aug 2026'' === |