What Flock Actually Costs Cities Across the Country
An investigation into the costs of Flock Safety's surveillance technology reveals that city contracts often expand significantly over time, locking municipalities into long-term financial commitments. Public records show that maintenance and software upgrades lead to rising costs for police departments using these camera systems.
Why it matters
The report highlights the financial and political implications of adopting surveillance technology, raising concerns about transparency and the difficulty of ending such programs once implemented.
In 2022, that cost went up to $81,250. Fifteen new “Falcon” cameras, which Flock says have more sophisticated technology for reading license plates, accounted for $37,500. Another $3,750 went toward installing the new cameras, and the rest was spent maintaining the initial fleet.
Then, in 2024, the department paid Flock $113,225. Of that, $87,500 was to maintain its existing 35 cameras, a rate it agreed to pay for the next five years, and the remainder went toward eight new Falcon cameras. The next year, Covington paid Flock $159,000 for a combination of camera maintenance and enrollment in its Drone as First Responder program, which uses drones to fly to emergency scenes and stream footage back to the police station.
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