LAPD Lets Flock Surveillance Contract Expire Due to Major Civil Liberties and Privacy Issues

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) is said to be ending its partnership with Flock Safety, a surveillance company that aids law enforcement in tracking vehicles using a vast network of license plate cameras nationwide.

A senior official from LAPD, along with reports from ABC7 and the Los Angeles Times, revealed that the department intends to allow its three-year contract with Flock to expire on Saturday. The LAPD has raised “serious concerns” regarding civil liberties and privacy. It is important to note that the cameras are operated by the Atlanta-based firm and not by the LAPD.

“The decision not to renew this contract comes from deep concerns about civil liberties and civil rights, especially regarding privacy and the data these cameras collect,” said Dean Gialamas, LAPD’s chief information officer. “The LAPD faced a challenging choice, ultimately deciding to discontinue the use of Flock services until we can resolve these issues related to data, privacy, security, and sharing through a new agreement.”

A representative for the LAPD did not respond to TechCrunch’s inquiry over the weekend, leaving it uncertain if Flock’s cameras will remain operational without a valid contract. According to ABC7, the police department is seeking new contract terms to address privacy and data retention issues.

As the third-largest police force in the U.S., the LAPD has been one of Flock’s primary government clientele. Other notable cities, including Mountain View, California, and South Portland, Maine, have also ended their contracts with Flock due to privacy concerns and fears that federal immigration authorities might misuse the cameras in violation of local sanctuary laws.

Holly Beilin, a spokesperson for Flock, expressed surprise at the termination of the contract in an email to TechCrunch. Flock maintains it can “clarify the existing misconceptions” that led to the contract’s conclusion, although specifics on these misconceptions were not provided.

Flock operates over 80,000 cameras across the country that scan license plates, allowing law enforcement and federal agencies to monitor vehicle movements.

The company has faced considerable backlash from local communities that initially consented to and later rescinded agreements with Flock due to privacy and surveillance concerns. In some cases, residents have actively dismantled Flock cameras or covered them with trash bags, despite reports of Flock re-installing cameras without authorization from local governments.

Researchers have documented an uptick in instances where drivers have been pulled over, detained, or even confronted at gunpoint due to inaccuracies in license plate recognition technology. Recently, a journalist from The Drive shared an experience of being tracked for several days and subsequently surrounded by police after a Flock camera erroneously flagged the license plate of the vehicle he was testing as stolen.

Flock has also come under fire for various security breaches that jeopardized cameras and related data. In a notable incident, the independent news outlet 404 Media was able to view themselves in real-time on publicly accessible Flock cameras. Lawmakers have urged federal consumer protection agencies to investigate Flock for failing to implement security protocols to prevent unauthorized access, noting that many police user accounts lack multi-factor authentication.

Additionally, 404 Media reported that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration used a local officer’s credentials without permission to track a suspect involved in an immigration violation.

Have you experienced any security or privacy issues involving Flock Safety or its cameras in your area? We’d love to hear your stories. From a non-work device, you can securely contact Zack Whittaker via the Signal messaging app at the username zackwhittaker.1337.