A California city that canceled its contract with Flock Safety and removed the company’s automated license plate reader cameras discovered weeks later that several units had reappeared at the same intersections, according to city officials and residents who flagged the cameras on local social media. The city had terminated the agreement earlier this summer following public backlash over data-sharing practices and surveillance concerns.
City staff confirmed the cameras were taken down after the contract ended, only for at least three units to resurface at previous locations without any new authorization from the council or city manager’s office. Officials say they are now investigating how the equipment was reinstalled and by whom.
How the Cameras Reappeared
According to statements from city officials, public works crews first noticed the cameras back in place during routine street inspections. Flock Safety, the Atlanta-based company that manufactures the license plate readers, has not publicly explained why the devices were reinstalled after the contract’s termination.
A city spokesperson said the municipality had sent formal notice to Flock Safety confirming the end of the agreement and requesting removal of all hardware, which the company initially complied with. The reappearance of the cameras, officials said, raises questions about whether the company or a third-party installer acted independently, or whether a miscommunication led to the mix-up.
“We terminated this contract because our residents told us they didn’t want this kind of surveillance in their neighborhoods. Finding the cameras back up without our knowledge is unacceptable,” a city official said in a statement.
Flock Safety has not issued a detailed public response to the specific incident, though the company has previously stated that it works to comply with client requests regarding equipment removal.
Part of a Broader Pattern
The episode adds to a string of controversies surrounding Flock Safety, which supplies automated license plate readers to thousands of police departments and municipalities across the country. The company’s cameras capture license plates, vehicle characteristics, and location data, which is then shared through a searchable network used by law enforcement agencies nationwide.
Civil liberties advocates, including the American Civil Liberties Union, have raised concerns that the data can be accessed by federal agencies, including immigration enforcement, without local oversight or consent. Those concerns have driven a wave of contract cancellations in cities across the country in recent months, as detailed in NarwhalTV’s coverage of cities terminating Flock Safety contracts at a record pace in August and reports on rivals scooping up police surveillance deals as Flock loses municipal clients.
The backlash has also turned personal for the company’s leadership. Earlier this year, NarwhalTV reported that the Flock Safety CEO’s home address was shared online amid escalating anger from privacy advocates and residents opposed to the surveillance network’s expansion.
City Response and Next Steps
Local officials said they have ordered the newly discovered cameras removed again and are exploring whether the company violated the terms of the terminated contract. The city council is expected to discuss the matter at an upcoming public meeting, where residents are likely to demand accountability and clarity on how the reinstallation occurred without their knowledge.
Some council members have suggested pursuing legal action if it is determined that Flock Safety reinstalled the equipment without consent, while others have called for an independent audit of all city surveillance infrastructure to ensure no other unauthorized devices remain active.
- The original Flock Safety contract was terminated following community objections over data privacy.
- Cameras were removed shortly after cancellation, per city records.
- At least three units were later found reinstalled at prior locations.
- The city has demanded an explanation and ordered a second removal.
- Officials are reviewing potential legal remedies.
Why It Matters
The incident underscores growing friction between local governments and surveillance technology vendors as more communities reassess the tradeoffs between public safety tools and privacy protections. Automated license plate readers have been credited by some police departments with helping solve crimes and locate stolen vehicles, but critics argue the systems create sweeping databases of residents’ movements with limited transparency or oversight.
As cities nationwide continue to weigh whether to renew, cancel, or restrict Flock Safety agreements, this case may become a reference point in debates over vendor accountability once a contract ends. Residents and officials alike are watching closely to see whether the company faces any consequences for the unauthorized reinstallation, and whether other municipalities discover similar issues with equipment they believed had already been removed.
The city has not released a timeline for when it expects to complete its review, but officials say transparency with residents will remain a priority as the investigation continues.
