Flock Has Never Terminated Police Department Contracts Over System Misuse, CEO Says

Surveillance technology company Flock has never terminated a contract with a police department or law enforcement agency over product abuse, chief executive Garrett Langley stated during an on-stage interview at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 in San Francisco. Speaking with TechCrunch editor-in-chief Connie Loizos, Langley addressed sustained scrutiny surrounding officers misusing Flock's automated license plate reader network to track and stalk individuals without authorization.

The comments, reported by TechCrunch, follow multiple investigations that revealed dozens of law enforcement personnel have been arrested, fired, or forced to resign after abusing access to Flock's centralized national vehicle database. Langley acknowledged internal deliberations at the Atlanta-based company over whether to sever ties with client agencies, but defended retaining those customers by arguing that pulling the platform harms broader community public safety efforts.

Langley said the company would terminate a contract if an agency as an organization knowingly broke the law, but described most real-world scenarios as isolated misconduct by individual officers rather than agency-wide violations. While he maintained that contract termination remains an option for severe institutional infractions, no law enforcement client has been dropped to date.

Flock operates more than 100,000 cameras nationwide, creating a centralized searchable registry that enables participating departments to track vehicles across jurisdictional boundaries. The platform's reach has made it a focal point in surveillance policy debates: several municipalities have canceled or declined to renew their contracts over privacy issues, while residents in some jurisdictions have reported deactivated cameras turning back on without local authorization. Demonstrators gathered outside the conference venue to protest AI-driven surveillance and data-sharing workflows that permit federal agencies such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement to access local records.

Defending the technology, Langley maintained that the network helps police solve cases faster, citing examples such as the rapid recovery of a stolen vehicle with an infant inside. However, the company continues to face criticism over cybersecurity vulnerabilities as well as recognition errors that have led to false stops and wrongful arrests. When asked about potential consolidation with competitors such as Axon, Langley said Flock has no plans to sell the business.