AI-written summary synthesised from 2 independent reports, listed below. No human editor reviewed this. AI can misread or omit facts — read the originals.
ABSTRACT

Flock Safety, a police technology company that operates a network of automatic license plate readers, announced on Thursday that it would reduce the default period for retaining vehicle movement data from 30 days to seven days and require officers to provide a case code before conducting searches, the company said in a press release.

New York Post

Flock Safety cuts data retention to seven days and mandates search justification for police

Aug 13, 2026, 9:00 AM

Flock Safety, a police technology company that operates a network of automatic license plate readers, announced on Thursday that it would reduce the default period for retaining vehicle movement data from 30 days to seven days and require officers to provide a case code before conducting searches, the company said in a press release.

Context

The company, whose cameras log vehicles' movements, license plate numbers, make, model and time of travel, operates what the American Civil Liberties Union describes as roughly 120,000 cameras nationwide. Law enforcement agencies that contract with Flock can access travel data without a warrant and may share it locally, statewide, or nationally, according to NBC News.

Flock CEO Garrett Langley, speaking to the New York Post, described the overhaul as the toughest license-plate-reader policy in the country and said approximately 90 percent of investigative searches on the system already occur within seven days. 'I've realized communities need my help,' Langley said, adding that the company needed to 'set the standard for how this kind of technology should be deployed.'

Under the new policy, case codes will be required for every search. Flock first introduced the requirement as an optional feature in July 2025, according to the New York Post. An emergency override will be available for situations such as a missing child, but those searches will automatically be flagged for review.

Flock is also making its Audit Assistance system mandatory across all law enforcement customers. According to the company, the tool identifies unusual search activity and can lock out a user while an administrator reviews the searches. The New York Post reported that roughly one-third of agencies had voluntarily activated the feature after it was introduced earlier this year, and that identifying misuse increased when agencies did so.

Langley said the goal is to catch potential misconduct before it becomes widespread. 'The solution is not to remove the tools they need to do their job, the solution is to hold them accountable,' he said, according to the New York Post. 'Not enough cities are running audits. Not enough cities are actually checking what's happening. So we're just gonna force it.'

The company is also introducing an Evidence Mode, allowing information connected to a case number to be preserved beyond the seven-day default window. Agencies may also establish longer retention periods when required by state or local law, according to the New York Post.

The announcements come amid broader scrutiny of automated license plate reader technology. In California, Senate Bill 1013, authored by state Sen. Sabrina Cervantes, would require public agencies using license plate readers to train officers, maintain search logs, conduct annual audits, and delete data after 30 days unless it is connected to an active criminal investigation, according to the New York Post. The measure has passed the state Senate and is before the Assembly.

In Los Angeles, according to the New York Post, Mayor Karen Bass recently called for an end to the LAPD's contract with Flock, saying the company had lost the trust of residents. Langley disputed the mayor's characterization of how the system works, stating that LAPD owns and controls access to the data. 'It was definitely disappointing to see her say that,' he said. Flock said it has reached out to Bass' office and is working to arrange a meeting.

NBC News reported that some cities have canceled their Flock contracts amid a national wave of vandalism against the cameras.

All Perspectives
Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langley: Langley described the changes as the toughest license-plate-reader policy in the country and argued that stronger safeguards can address abuse concerns without eliminating the technology. He said: 'I think sadly, police abuse has been a problem for longer than people want to talk about.' On data retention, he said: 'You could argue it should be 48 hours. And that would mean that maybe 50% of crime gets solved. And in seven days, you're at 90%.' He also pushed back against Mayor Bass's characterization of the Los Angeles contract, stating that LAPD owns and controls the data, not Flock.
American Civil Liberties Union: The ACLU downplayed the new changes as minor. Chad Marlow, senior policy counsel at the ACLU, said: 'My biggest concern was and will continue to be that they are a mass surveillance company that collects billions and billions of license plate scans every month on people who have done nothing wrong.' While Marlow said he welcomed the shorter default retention period, he noted a week still falls short of the ACLU's recommended 48 hours. He added: 'Flock collects location data on virtually every car in America every month and then facilitates the nationwide sharing of that data where it can be used to target members of vulnerable and disfavored communities and to undermine the privacy and chill the behavior of everyone in America.' The ACLU has previously accused Flock and other license plate reader companies of helping create a nationwide mass-surveillance network.
Law enforcement agencies: Flock and law enforcement officers who rely on the technology say it can be an invaluable tool for tracking suspects and can save policing hours, according to NBC News.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass: According to the New York Post, Bass recently called for an end to the LAPD's contract with Flock, saying the company had lost the trust of Angelenos. Her office's direct response to Flock's new policy announcements is not quoted in any source.
Position not represented in the source reporting: Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.
Gaps & Unknowns
  • The precise timeline for when the new mandatory policies will take full effect across all Flock customers is not established by either source.
  • The total number of law enforcement agencies currently under contract with Flock is not stated.
  • Mayor Bass's office did not comment on or respond to Flock's new policy changes in either source.
  • Whether California's Senate Bill 1013 would be rendered moot or affected by Flock's voluntary policy changes is not addressed.
  • The scale or details of the national wave of vandalism against Flock cameras, referenced by NBC News, are not elaborated upon.
  • Independent verification of Langley's claim that 90 percent of investigative searches occur within seven days is not provided.
  • How Flock defines 'abnormal activity' that triggers the Audit Assistance lockout is not specified.
Sources & Further Reading
  1. New York Post — original — by Zain Khan
  2. NBC News — by Kevin Collier

Read the original at New York Post

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