LAPD Ends Contract with Flock Safety Amid Privacy Concerns

The Los Angeles Police Department has chosen not to renew its three-year contract with Flock Safety, a surveillance company that operates thousands of license plate cameras across the United States. The decision comes amidst growing concerns over civil liberties and privacy.

The LAPD's contract with Flock was set to expire on Saturday, and the department cited 'serious concerns' around civil liberties and civil rights issues, particularly around privacy and the data being collected from these cameras. LAPD's Chief Information Officer Dean Gialamas stated that the department made a difficult decision to discontinue using Flock services until the data, privacy, security, and sharing concerns are ironed out through a contractual relationship.

Flock has a network of at least 80,000 cameras around the US that scan license plates and allow police and federal agencies to track vehicles. The company has faced backlash from local communities due to concerns with privacy and surveillance. In some cases, locals have dismantled Flock cameras and covered them with trash bags, even as some communities found that Flock reinstalled cameras without permission from local authorities.

Researchers have identified an uptick in documented cases of motorists being pulled over, detained, and held at gunpoint by police, or jailed, due to false positives and errors with license plate readers. A journalist from The Drive detailed how he was tracked for days and later boxed-in by police after a Flock camera mistakenly flagged the license plate of the on-loan review unit he was driving as stolen.

Flock has also faced scrutiny following several security lapses that have exposed cameras and data. Lawmakers have urged federal consumer authorities to investigate Flock for failing to implement measures that would prevent hackers and spies from gaining access to its security cameras.

The LAPD's decision to end its contract with Flock is not an isolated incident. Several major US cities have stopped working with Flock, including Mountain View, California, and South Portland, Maine, citing privacy worries and concerns that federal immigration officials used the cameras to track people in violation of their local laws.

Flock spokesperson Holly Beilin stated that the company was confident that it could 'clear up the current misconceptions' that led to the contract's end. However, the company refused to specify which misconceptions it was referring to.

The LAPD's decision to end its contract with Flock raises questions about the use of surveillance technology in law enforcement and the need for greater transparency and accountability. As the third-largest police department in the US, the LAPD's decision will likely have a significant impact on the use of surveillance technology in other cities and states.