Map Shows Cities, Counties Canceling Flock Cameras Amid Backlash

As worries over privacy, police misuse and the sharing of vehicle-location data fuel a nationwide backlash, a growing number of cities and counties throughout the United States are turning away from Flock Safety's automated license plate reader cameras.

Key points

• At least 56 cities and towns have deactivated, rejected or canceled Flock contracts in 2026 alone, according to a tally by national advocacy group DeFlock.
• On Tuesday, Pflugerville's City Council unanimously voted to terminate its agreement with Flock and deactivate all 28 of its cameras.
• According to public records discussed by council members, almost 1.6 million searches were conducted by 459 outside organizations using Pflugerville's camera data over a six-month period.
• The same day, Kendall County commissioners unanimously voted not to renew a Flock contract covering more than 50 cameras.
• While other jurisdictions are reviewing their programs, elsewhere in Texas, Hood County has additionally discontinued its Flock contract.

By Hannah Parry Associate News Editor. Newsweek is a Trust Project member.

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At least 56 cities and towns have deactivated, rejected or canceled Flock contracts in 2026 alone, according to a tally by national advocacy group DeFlock. As well as local reporting, indicates the decisions taken against Flock in towns and counties throughout the U.S, while there is no central administration database tracking local decisions, Newsweek's map, based on data from the Institute of Justice and Unsurveilled.Org.

Notably, the backlash intensified this summer after a series of investigations and police misconduct cases raised new questions regarding who can search Flock's nationwide network and how that information can be employed.

Flock operates a vast network of automated license plate readers that record passing vehicles' plates and other characteristics. Law enforcement agencies can employ the system to search for vehicles associated with investigations, and Flock's network allows data to be searched throughout participating jurisdictions. Supporters say the cameras have supported solve crimes and locate missing residents. Critics say the system amounts to warrantless mass surveillance and creates a detailed record of Americans' movements. Now, communities that once embraced the technology are reconsidering it. Tempe Shuts Down its Cameras. The latest high-profile departure came Wednesday in Tempe, Arizona.

According to The city, it had turned off its Flock automated license plate reader system and would end its contract with the business. The cameras are no longer collecting license plate data, and Tempe remarked it will not seek another business to replace the system.

In practice, the city's police department remarked its Flock system had assisted solve crimes but acknowledged the broader reservations raised by misuse of automated license plate readers in Arizona and around the country.

Tempe remarked it had identified no evidence that its own Flock system had been misused. Previously collected data will generally be deleted after 30 days unless it is tied to an ongoing case or investigation. Texas Communities are Pulling Back.

Notably, the decisions have accelerated in Texas. On Tuesday, Pflugerville's City Council unanimously voted to terminate its agreement with Flock and deactivate all 28 of its cameras. The decision followed revelations that hundreds of outside organizations had accessed data collected by the city's cameras.

According to public records discussed by council members, almost 1.6 million searches were conducted by 459 outside organizations using Pflugerville's camera data over a six-month period. The revelations contradicted earlier assurances regarding how broadly the data could be accessed.

In practice, the same day, Kendall County commissioners unanimously voted not to renew a Flock contract covering more than 50 cameras. The contract expires September 30. While commissioners cited worries regarding trust and data protection, more than 1, 500 individuals had signed a petition opposing the system.

While other jurisdictions are reviewing their programs, elsewhere in Texas, Hood County has additionally discontinued its Flock contract. Misuse Cases are Driving the Backlash.

In practice, the reservations aren't limited to theoretical privacy questions. In Lufkin, Texas, a police officer was indicted on 100 felony counts after investigators alleged he improperly applied the Flock system more than 45, 000 times over roughly 200 days. One license plate was reportedly searched almost 3, 500 times. The department has suspended its employ of Flock while investigations continue.

In Massachusetts, a Stow police officer resigned against the backdrop of an investigation spurred by a complaint alleging unauthorized Flock searches involving someone he knew personally, office-holders noted. The department subsequently severed ties with Flock and removed its cameras.

Those cases have continued urgency to worries from civil-liberties advocates. This person argue that a system capable of searching millions of vehicle records requires stronger controls than internal police policies. Flock Is Changing Its Rules.

Flock has responded to the backlash by announcing new safeguards. Beginning January 1, the firm states, law enforcement customers will be required to employ an auditing system designed to identify abnormal searches. Searches will additionally have to be associated with case numbers, and the default data-retention period will be reduced from 30 days to seven.

Flock will additionally allow customers to restrict which categories of crimes outside agencies can apply when searching their data, potentially allowing jurisdictions to prevent searches related to immigration enforcement.

Civil-liberties advocates remain skeptical. The Institute for Justice has called the changes inadequate, arguing that the fundamental matter is that police-not judges-generally decide when the database can be searched. The ACLU has similarly questioned whether the new safeguards go far enough. Canceling Flock Doesn't Always Mean the Cameras Disappear.

There's another wrinkle in the map. Some communities that concluded Flock contracts have replaced the business with another automated license plate reader provider. The Guardian documented this month that some cities have shifted from Flock to competitors including Axon, meaning residents may lose Flock cameras without actually losing automated vehicle surveillance.

For that reason, Newsweek 's map below focuses specifically on communities that have taken action against Flock Safety, rather than treating every cancellation as the end of automated license plate surveillance.

Meanwhile, the cancellations span the political spectrum and include cities, counties, police departments and other local administration entities.

In practice, the reasons vary. Some communities cite alleged police misuse. Others object to the ability of outside agencies to search their data, immigration-enforcement reservations, Fourth Amendment questions, lack of public oversight, contract or procurement difficulties or simple opposition from residents.

Politicians on both sides of the aisle have criticized Flock Cameras, with Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis saying that the public is "right to be concerned" regarding Flock-style license plate surveillance and is looking at legislative safeguards. Meanwhile, Representative Delia Ramirez, an Illinois Democrat, cautioned, "Private tech businesses have amassed record-breaking profits off our pain and the employ of technology for mass surveillance is a threat to our democracy, civil liberties, and privacy. Congress must stop the ever-expanding surveillance state."

In some cases, authorities have concluded contracts even while acknowledging that the cameras were useful to police.

That tension is at the heart of the debate: whether the investigative benefits of automated license plate readers justify building a searchable record of where millions of Americans' vehicles travel.

As more communities face renewal dates, the map is projected to keep changing.

Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Gabe Whisnant and Edward T. Cummins. View Editorial & AI Guidelines.

Taken together, the developments around map Shows Cities, Counties Canceling Flock Cameras Amid Backlash point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.