Flock Safety adds new controls to prevent police misuse
The short version: KTLA 5 reports Flock Safety is rolling out new guardrails after officers were caught misusing ALPR data, but self-policing isn't oversight.
Our Take
KTLA 5 digs into a story we've been tracking for a while: Flock Safety, facing real allegations of officers running plate searches for personal reasons and outside their jurisdiction's authorized use, is now rolling out new "controls" to rein in misuse. Credit to the KTLA team for pressing on this, because it confirms what critics have said all along — the honor system doesn't work when you hand cops a nationwide, warrantless surveillance network and just ask them nicely to behave.
Here's the problem with a company announcing its own safeguards: Flock Safety is grading its own homework. Audit logs and access tiers sound good in a press release, but they're only as strong as the agencies willing to enforce them, and we've already seen departments quietly expand searches, share data across state lines, and stonewall public records requests about how their systems are actually used. A software update doesn't undo the fact that this technology tracks every driver, guilty or not, and stores it for someone to search later.
New controls are a start, not a solution. If you want to know whether these cameras are watching your commute, check our map, and if your city hasn't had a real public debate about this technology, it's time to push for one — see how to take action in your community.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of KTLA 5, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.