Flock CEO Says Company Hasn’t Fired Any Customers Over Data Abuse

SAN FRANCISCO — Flock CEO Garrett Langley has told attendees at Disrupt 2026 that his company has not terminated a single customer contract over police data abuse, despite a documented record of officers misusing its systems. Langley made the admission while speaking with TechCrunch editor-in-chief Connie Loizos on stage at the Moscone Center.

His remarks arrive after extensive reporting identified dozens of law enforcement personnel arrested, fired, or pressured to resign for using the company’s nationwide database to track individuals without authorization. Reports of the misuse often involved stalking private citizens rather than investigating crimes.

Outside the venue, the tension was visible. Protesters wore costumes resembling robes from The Handmaid’s Tale and carried cardboard camera replicas on their heads. A loudspeaker played clips from 1984, while signs read Flock off and Flock = ICE. Ashley Ortiz, an organizer with the progressive activist group The Wolves, said the backlash draws support across the political spectrum.

The technology in question sits at the center of a heated national surveillance debate. Flock operates more than 100,000 license plate reader cameras across the United States. These devices feed detections into a central database that allows participating police departments to query data outside their own jurisdictions, effectively reconstructing a vehicle’s movement across state lines.

Langley said the company weighs each case individually. He stated that Flock would immediately cut ties with any customer that knowingly broke the law, describing that decision as straightforward. However, he characterized the majority of internal debates as nuanced, citing a hypothetical scenario where two officers out of fifty were caught abusing access. The company has not fired a customer in such instances, though Langley said termination remains possible in cases of drastic law-breaking.

The risk of the technology extends beyond privacy concerns. Flock has faced criticism regarding cybersecurity and camera accuracy, incidents that have contributed to dozens of police stops and wrongful arrests. One reported incident involved a journalist driving a review vehicle who was mistakenly flagged.

Some communities have responded by canceling contracts or allowing them to expire, while others have resorted to covering cameras with trash bags after the company reactivated devices against local wishes. Several municipalities have also swapped Flock systems for equipment from Axon, the maker of Tasers and police body cameras.

Access by federal agencies adds another layer of complexity. Flock does not hold a direct contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, but reports indicate the agency has obtained data through collaborations with local police departments that operate the cameras.

On the topic of whether Flock itself might be acquired by the security giant, Langley was direct. The company is not considering a sale, he said, adding that Flock has no desire to sell.