Flock Safety is tightening its surveillance rules. The surveillance technology company outlined policy changes for its automated license plate reader database after investigations and concerns over misuse and privacy. The changes cover searches, oversight, data retention, and the preservation of records.
Flock Safety sent the changes in a September 8, 2026, letter to Sen. Josh Hawley, the U.S. senator investigating the company. Dan Haley, Flock Safety’s chief legal officer, wrote that “Flock does not believe ‘Americans’ privacy should depend on one vendor’s good judgement, its current leadership or its commercial incentives.’”
That admission is the central point of the policy update: trust should not be the only control protecting a database built from people’s movements. Flock Safety’s network includes more than 120,000 cameras across the country, so the company’s rules affect a surveillance system with national reach.
Searches Now Require Structured Justifications
Flock Safety changed its search justifications so users must select an offense type instead of entering a free-text explanation. The offense menu is based on the FBI’s crime data reporting standards, giving searches a defined set of categories rather than leaving the reason entirely to the person conducting the search.
An administrator can also require a case number for every search. That setting creates another record tied to an investigation, although the verified policy changes do not state that every agency must enable it.
Flock Safety also launched a tool called audit assistance to monitor system activity and search patterns. The tool adds a way to examine how the system is being used, which matters when a network can record license plate numbers and details about a car across more than 120,000 cameras.
The plate readers create a vehicle signature from those records. That signature can include a vehicle’s make, model, color, bumper stickers, decals, and accessories — details that turn a plate scan into a broader description of a specific car.
Default Storage Falls From 30 Days To Seven
Flock Safety shortened its default data retention window from 30 days to seven days. The change reduces the default period during which recorded vehicle data remains available, though agencies can set their own retention period in coordination with policy.
That exception leaves retention decisions partly with the agencies using the system. The shorter default is a company-wide change, but the final storage period can still depend on an agency’s policy choices. Surveillance systems do enjoy having a settings menu for civil liberties.
Flock Safety also introduced “evidence mode” for preserving data in exceptional cases. The policy changes do not define every circumstance that qualifies as exceptional, but the feature provides a way to retain data beyond the normal window when preservation is required.
The changes were reported by Sarah Davis on September 23, 2026, and an article about Flock Safety’s policy changes was published on September 24, 2026. The Wall Street Journal is among the outlets reporting on Flock Safety, while Hawley’s investigation prompted the company’s letter and policy explanation.
Flock Safety’s update does not remove the underlying surveillance network or change what its cameras record. It changes how searches are justified, how activity can be monitored, how long data remains by default, and when records can be preserved — an attempt to replace personal judgment with rules, logs, and shorter storage.
Based on
