Flock Safety Loses Key Contracts as US Lawmakers Target Funding

Flock Safety is facing a mounting threat to its core market as local police departments cancel contracts and a US congressman prepares legislation to cut federal funding to agencies using its automated license plate readers. The Los Angeles Police Department suspended its partnership with the Atlanta-based company on Thursday, citing concerns over privacy, data sharing, and contract terms. Monroe County, Indiana, voted to end its contract a year early, and Leon County, Florida, delayed funding for new cameras.

The local defections coincide with a potential structural headwind in Washington. Kentucky Representative Thomas Massie announced plans to introduce a bill withholding federal money from municipalities and police departments that deploy Flock and similar surveillance cameras. For a company reliant on government procurement, a federal funding ban could drastically shrink Flock's addressable market, as local law enforcement agencies frequently depend on federal grants to finance capital equipment.

Beyond contract cancellations, Flock is grappling with operational costs and reputational damage stemming from the misuse and destruction of its hardware. Activists have spray-painted, disabled, or destroyed at least 33 cameras across 23 states since June, forcing costly replacements. Furthermore, a report by the Institute of Justice documented over two dozen cases nationwide where officers allegedly used automated license plate readers to stalk individuals, including a charged officer in Milwaukee and an arrested internal affairs detective in July.

Privacy advocates argue the technology has strayed from its stated purpose of solving serious crimes and locating missing people. The Electronic Frontier Foundation reported that agencies queried Flock data during the 2025 No Kings protests and a Texas abortion investigation. This expanding scope of surveillance has fueled community pushback, forcing company leadership to adjust its public posture.

Flock CEO Garrett Langley recently apologized for previously calling anti-surveillance activists a "terroristic organization." He now acknowledges the validity of some criticisms. "There are groups today that have real valid criticisms of the business, and I think what's changed for us is, as we've listened to them and heard them out, what we're trying to do is find this balance," Langley told Forbes. "We believe in a world where we can have safety and privacy."

Founded in 2017, the company maintains that its cameras do not use facial recognition and typically retain data for only 30 days. Langley has argued that public opposition fades once the system is properly understood. "Once they understand what the technology actually does, not what it might do in 50 years... it takes a picture of a car. Most people go, 'This makes a lot of sense. I want my kids to be safe,'" he told ABC7. However, the current wave of cancelled contracts suggests that financial decision-makers at police departments are not yet convinced.