ATLANTA — Flock Safety said Thursday it will tighten privacy and accountability controls for its automated license plate camera network, including reducing the default retention period for vehicle data from 30 days to seven and making safeguards against improper searches mandatory for law enforcement customers.
The Atlanta-based surveillance technology company said the changes are intended to address concerns over how its system is used and how long information is retained. Flock operates a nationwide network of automated license plate readers that records license plates and other vehicle characteristics. Thousands of law enforcement agencies in 49 states can search and share the data across jurisdictions.
Under the changes, Flock said all law enforcement customers will be required by the end of 2026 to activate its Audit Assistance tool, which analyzes user activity and flags unusual searches for administrative review. The company will also introduce automatic lockouts for users whose activity is deemed abnormal, pending review by an agency administrator.
Flock will require officers to enter a case code before conducting searches, with emergency searches exempted but automatically flagged for review. Customers will also be able to restrict the types of offenses for which outside agencies can search their data, potentially allowing them to block searches for categories such as immigration enforcement.
The company said the shorter retention period will apply as its recommended default, while existing customers will retain retention periods already approved in their jurisdictions. Flock plans to introduce an “Evidence Mode” that will allow investigators to preserve records connected to active cases beyond seven days.
The changes follow growing scrutiny of Flock’s technology after reports of law enforcement officers using license plate data for unauthorized purposes, including tracking people with whom they had personal relationships. CBS News reported that Flock CEO Garrett Langley apologized for cases in which the system was misused and acknowledged that the company could have acted earlier.
Civil liberties groups have questioned whether the measures go far enough. The American Civil Liberties Union said the shorter retention period could be a step forward but said the effectiveness of the changes would depend in part on how Evidence Mode operates.
More than 50 agencies or jurisdictions have canceled, suspended or rejected Flock contracts or deactivated cameras since the beginning of 2026, according to a tracker cited by The Associated Press. Law enforcement officials, meanwhile, continue to describe license plate readers as useful investigative tools for locating missing people, recovering stolen vehicles and identifying suspects.
Flock said its new safeguards will be implemented through the end of 2026, with the seven-day retention recommendation and other controls taking effect on the company’s announced schedule.
