Contract Termination and Unplugging
Plymouth City Council unanimously voted to end its Flock contract in September 2026, but the company failed to respond to demands to remove its cameras installed around the city. The city informed Flock immediately about the cancelation, but it failed to respond even after a week. Because of this, Plymouth Police Chief Eric Fadden was forced to take matters into the city’s hands and physically disconnected the cameras’ power cords to ensure that they are non-functional.
“As you’re well aware, the City Council voted to discontinue the use of Flock ALPRs at the Sept. 22 meeting. On the morning of Sept. 23, we suspended all Plymouth user Flock accounts and notified Flock Safety of the Council’s decision. We followed up with a formal letter of cancellation via US Mail and email after consulting with our City Attorney’s Office. We did not hear any reply from Flock Safety Corporate or Legal, other than some communication with our local representative,” Fadden said. “After hearing nothing for more than a week, I directed our staff to disconnect the power cords from the cameras in order to be sure that they are not functioning or recording plates.”
Controversies and Regional Pushback
Flock has faced multiple controversies in recent months, including the arrest of officers for misusing the system and an incident involving an administrative error in Minnesota. Reports have also indicated that police have pulled motorists over because an AI algorithm flagged their travel history as suspicious. Dayton, another city in Minnesota located just 10 miles north of Plymouth, has paused its Flock program and disabled two devices in the area. Dayton police became aware that the company intended to replace these cameras and told Flock not to proceed, though the company moved forward with the replacement anyway.
National Network and Privacy Concerns
There are over 300,000 Flock cameras installed nationwide, with the network's widespread coverage making it effective at tracking vehicles. Although marketed as automated license plate readers (ALPRs), Flock’s system uses AI to identify vehicles using other markings like stickers, paint color, and the vehicle's make and model. Due to these issues, critics have urged city councils to remove the cameras citing privacy concerns. While Flock remains silent regarding demands for removal, local disconnections reduce its coverage area while imposing labor costs on the company.
