Flock Safety

Flock was founded in 2017[4] and has grown rapidly. As of February 2022, Flock's fixed cameras have been installed in over 1500 cities across the US.[5]

Cameras include the Sparrow, which does not send instant alerts, and the Falcon, which does. The Raven is an audio device that detects gunshots. Data can be shared between law enforcement agencies. The company hosts "transparency portals" like this one for Piedmont in California showing how data is used.

The cameras have a high rate of inaccurate hits due to misreading of the licence plates. In addition, the National Crime Information Center database that the system queries is often inaccurate or not updated.[6] There have been several cases of innocent people being stopped by the police at gunpoint due to their car being mistakenly identified as stolen, with one of the most high profile cases being that of a Black family whose car was mistakenly stopped by police in Aurora, Colorado. The police held the family, including four children aged from 6 to 17 years old, at gunpoint, and forced the children to lie face down on the street, with the two eldest children in handcuffs.[7]

While many communities have adopted the cameras without debate, other communities have had heated debates about whether Flock Safety cameras will protect the community or cause harm, especially to minorities.[8][9][10] The Electronic Frontier Foundation argues that ALPRs like Flock may create more problems than they solve. Although Flock Safety claims their cameras reduce crime, opponents argue that there is no clear evidence for this.[11][12] The American Civil Liberties Union released a report in March 2022 criticising both Flock Safety's business model and its products.[13]