The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) is temporarily halting its contract with Flock Safety, a company that provides license plate-reading cameras, due to unresolved disputes over the ownership and control of the footage captured by the systems. The decision comes amid ongoing contract negotiations, according to LAPD Chief Information Officer Dean Gialamas.
Flock Safety, based in Atlanta, has faced scrutiny regarding its data sharing practices. While the company states it does not share customer data without permission, it has been accused by anti-police activists of providing data to federal immigration authorities. This has led to other cities, including some in Texas, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan, to sever ties with the vendor, though departments in Georgia and Oklahoma continue to utilize Flock's technology.
A local group, Stop LAPD Spying, has been critical of the department's use of Flock's AI-powered camera network, citing concerns about the LAPD's refusal to release records related to the technology. Gialamas emphasized that the department's priority is to protect the constitutional rights and civil liberties of the public, stating, "We’re trying to clarify terms so that the data ownership and security is firmed up."
The Board of Police Commissioners previously requested a report on the data collected and shared by Flock's scanners and has declined to approve donations of Flock cameras in recent months, reflecting public, commissioner, and city council concerns.
The core of the dispute lies in defining clear terms regarding data ownership and its subsequent use. Automated license plate readers, whether mounted on police vehicles or fixed infrastructure, photograph license plates and record their location, date, and time. The LAPD uses Flock's technology to identify stolen vehicles and those registered to wanted fugitives, aiding in tracking their movements across the city.
LAPD officials consider these cameras essential crime-fighting tools, enabling rapid identification of dangerous individuals and reducing investigative time. The department operates approximately 1,500 automated license plate readers in squad cars and an additional 160 cameras mounted on poles and structures, primarily in the Westside and San Fernando Valley areas. In 2024, the LAPD's license plate cameras registered over 1.1 billion reads, resulting in more than 300,000 hits.
Automated license plate readers have been in use in Los Angeles for over two decades, with police departments in every U.S. city exceeding one million residents employing similar technology, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Mayor Karen Bass supports the LAPD's use of these cameras but has voiced opposition to sharing the collected data with federal agencies.
Flock Safety is one of three vendors contracted by the city for automated license plate readers, and its cameras represent a small fraction of the LAPD's overall network. The LAPD plans to cease using Flock cameras imminently. Gialamas acknowledged public concerns about civil liberties and stressed the need for contracts and agreements with vendors to clearly articulate data usage policies.