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Why Cities Are Dropping Flock Safety Cameras

Updated August 6, 2026

A growing number of U.S. communities have voted to cancel or pause their contracts with Flock Safety, the fast-growing vendor of automatic license-plate reader (ALPR) cameras. The reasons are consistent from town to town: unease about how far Flock's camera data travels, who can search it, and how little public oversight often accompanied the rollout. Reporting in 2026 describes scrutiny of more than 80 Flock contracts across upwards of 28 states, with city councils and county boards revisiting deals that were frequently signed with minimal debate. This page is a plain-English overview of what's driving the backlash, and what it means for you, wherever you drive.

The scale of the backlash

What began as isolated objections has become a nationwide pattern. In July 2026, Malwarebytes Labs described the pushback against Flock cameras as actively "spreading," documenting a steady run of local votes to end or decline contracts. The Washington Examiner and other outlets have tracked the same trend from the policy side, as lawmakers in multiple states weigh new limits on how ALPR data is retained and shared. And Newsweek has published a map of cities that have rejected or deactivated Flock cameras, a visual tally that keeps growing as new council decisions land. No single source claims a precise national count, and it changes weekly; the reliable signal is the direction, not a fixed figure.

Why residents and officials are pushing back

The objections cluster around a few themes. The first is data sharing: Flock's network can let an agency query cameras far outside its own jurisdiction, and civil-liberties reporting has documented searches run on behalf of federal agencies, including immigration enforcement (ICE), often with little transparency. The second is weak oversight: residents routinely discover that cameras were installed, and data-sharing enabled, without a public vote or a usage policy. The third is accuracy: false or mistaken plate "hits" can put innocent drivers under suspicion. The Electronic Frontier Foundation and 404 Media have reported extensively on these concerns, and their coverage is frequently cited by residents making the case to their local officials.

The DeFlock story

One flashpoint crystallized the debate. DeFlock is a community, open-source project that maps the locations of Flock and other ALPR cameras using public, crowd-sourced observations. In early 2025, Flock Safety sent the project's developer a cease-and-desist demand. As 404 Media reported, the developer declined to take the map down, and the EFF stepped in to defend the effort, arguing that documenting the location of cameras installed in public, hardware anyone can see from the street, is protected activity, not a violation of Flock's rights. To be fair to Flock, the company frames its cameras as a public-safety tool that helps solve crimes; the dispute is less about whether the cameras exist than about whether the public gets to catalog and scrutinize them. The episode became a rallying point for the broader oversight movement.

What it means for you

Here's the practical takeaway: even where a city cancels its Flock contract, the cameras don't vanish from your daily drive. ALPRs from Flock and other vendors remain widespread on highways, in neighboring towns, and in HOAs and business lots, and their data is frequently shared across regions. Cancelling one contract is a meaningful oversight win, but it doesn't make you invisible to the broader network. That's why awareness, not evasion, is the point. Peripheri is a privacy-first iPhone app that maps known surveillance-camera hardware from public data and gives you a discreet heads-up as you approach one: on a map, a live directional radar, and a Lock Screen Live Activity. Everything is computed on your device, so your location never leaves your phone. It doesn't track anyone, and it does nothing to alter or obscure your vehicle or plate; it simply helps you understand the surveillance around you.

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New to this topic? Start with what a Flock camera is, check whether you're being tracked, or see our full guide to Flock cameras.

Frequently asked questions

How many cities have dropped Flock cameras?

There is no official running tally, but reporting through mid-2026 documents a fast-growing list. Newsweek has mapped dozens of U.S. communities that have rejected, deactivated, or declined to renew Flock Safety contracts, and coverage of the wider ALPR-oversight fight references more than 80 contracts across upwards of 28 states being scrutinized, paused, or cancelled. Because votes happen at the city-council and county level almost every week, the exact number keeps changing. The direction of travel is what matters.

Are Flock cameras being banned?

Not outright, in most places. What is happening is more targeted: individual cities and towns are voting to cancel or not renew their own Flock contracts, and some state lawmakers are tightening rules on how automatic license-plate reader data can be retained and shared. A few jurisdictions have deactivated cameras already installed. So the accurate framing is that Flock is facing a wave of local cancellations and new oversight, rather than a nationwide ban.

Why are residents pushing back against Flock?

The most common objections are about data sharing and oversight: Flock's network can let agencies far outside a town query its cameras, civil-liberties groups have documented federal and immigration-enforcement access to searches, and residents often learn cameras were installed with little public debate. False or mistaken plate hits, unclear retention, and the sense of being tracked while not suspected of any crime round out the concerns.

If my city cancels Flock, am I no longer tracked?

Not necessarily. Cancelling one contract removes that operator's cameras, but ALPRs from Flock and other vendors remain widespread on nearby roads, highways, HOAs, and neighboring jurisdictions, and their data is often shared across regions. That's why awareness still matters. Peripheri maps known camera hardware from public data and alerts you as you approach one, entirely on your device.