Flagstaff City Council Votes to Cancel Flock Automated License Plate Reader Contract | KAFF News
The short version: Flagstaff's City Council just did what few municipalities dare: it ripped up its Flock ALPR contract and walked away from mass license plate tracking.
Our Take
Credit to KAFF News for getting this on record: Flagstaff's City Council voted to cancel its contract with Flock Safety, pulling the plug on a network of automated license plate readers that had been logging residents' movements. Cancellations like this are rare. Most cities sign multi-year deals, quietly renew them, and never revisit the surveillance math once the cameras go up. Flagstaff apparently did the harder thing and said no thanks, mid-contract.
We don't yet know the full internal debate — cost, efficacy, public records requests, privacy pressure, or some combination — but the outcome matters regardless of the reasoning. Every canceled Flock contract is proof that these systems are not permanent fixtures of American life. They are procurement decisions, made by elected officials who can be lobbied, questioned, and voted out. Flagstaff's council just showed that public pressure and plain scrutiny can still move a city government to reverse course on ALPR sprawl.
If you live somewhere still weighing a Flock deal, or want to see how thick the camera network already is near you, check our map and use our take-action resources to push your own council toward the exit Flagstaff just took.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of KAFF News, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.