Flock keeps ignoring requests to cancel its contracts
Several cities are struggling to terminate contracts with Flock Safety, a surveillance camera provider, as the company has failed to remove equipment or has reinstalled it without authorization. Local officials have resorted to physically disconnecting the devices to ensure they stop recording.
Why it matters
This highlights the growing friction between municipal governments and private surveillance contractors regarding data privacy and contractual control.
While more cities are canceling their contracts with Flock Safety, just as many are discovering how difficult that can be in some instances. Plymouth, Minnesota’s city council voted to terminate its contract with Flock in September, but failed to respond to the city’s request. For over a month, the cameras remained up, and the city had received no acknowledgment from the company. So, Police Chief Eric Fadden took matters into his own hands and physically disconnected the cameras.
“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,” Fadden told The Drive.
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