Flock Safety

Flock Group Inc.

Company type	Private
Industry	Security technology, surveillance
Founded	2017 (2017)
Founder	Garrett Langley, Matt Feury, Paige Todd
Headquarters	United States
Area served	United States
Key people	Garrett Langley (CEO), Paige Todd (CPO), Matt Feury (CTO)
Products	Automated license plate recognition systems, video monitoring systems, gunshot detection devices, integrated data management software, drones
Number of employees	900+ (2024)
Website	www.flocksafety.com

Flock Group Inc., operating under the name Flock Safety, is a U.S.-based company specializing in the production and management of security technology, including automated license plate recognition (ALPR), video monitoring systems, gunshot detection, and integrated data management software. Established in 2017 by Garrett Langley, Matt Feury, and Paige Todd, Flock Safety caters to law enforcement agencies, neighborhood associations, and private property owners. By 2025, the firm has deployed its technology across more than 5,000 communities in 49 states, processing over 20 billion vehicle scans every month. Their extensive camera system employs image recognition and machine learning to share information with police departments and integrate with predictive policing tools such as Palantir.

Flock distinguishes itself by marketing its solutions not only to law enforcement but also to homeowner associations and community organizations as crime deterrence tools. Although the company promotes its technology as enhancing criminal investigations, opponents criticize it as a form of mass surveillance, raising substantial privacy and civil rights issues that have sparked public controversy and legal disputes.

Corporate history

Founded in 2017 by three Georgia Tech graduates—Garrett Langley (CEO), Paige Todd (CPO), and Matt Feury (CTO)—Flock began as a side project. The founders assembled their initial video surveillance cameras manually at Langley’s dining room table. Their commitment deepened after a DeKalb County detective credited one of their cameras with aiding the resolution of a residential burglary.

To date, Flock has secured $380 million through venture capital funding, achieving a valuation of $3.5 billion by 2022.

By 2024, Flock had installed fixed cameras in more than 4,000 cities across 42 states and employed over 900 staff members as of April that year. In October 2024, the company expanded its portfolio by acquiring Aerodome, a drone manufacturer focused on law enforcement applications, announcing intentions to develop a proprietary line of drones.

Automated license plate readers

The company's core offerings include the Falcon and Sparrow camera models, which monitor vehicular traffic by capturing images of rear license plates. Utilizing AI-powered software, these devices read license plates and detect additional visual details. Data is transmitted via cellular networks to centralized servers where it is time- and location-stamped within a searchable database. This information is cross-checked against the National Crime Information Center and police watchlists to promptly notify officers when matches occur.

Unlike cameras used for traffic enforcement purposes, Flock’s ALPR systems are designed exclusively for surveillance and criminal investigation functions rather than issuing traffic citations. The company emphasizes its proprietary "vehicle fingerprint technology," which distinguishes vehicles by make, model, color, and unique identifiers such as bumper stickers or dents. This capability allows investigators to locate vehicles based on detailed visual characteristics. Their ALPR units can capture images of vehicles traveling at speeds up to 100 mph from distances reaching 75 feet under all lighting conditions.

Investors highlight that the effectiveness of Flock’s system improves as adoption increases since aggregated data shared among agencies enhances crime-solving potential:

Most units operate on solar power combined with rechargeable batteries, enabling installation without reliance on electrical grid connections. Deployment options include poles provided by the manufacturer or integration with existing lampposts and telephone poles. In the ALPR market, Flock’s main competitor is Motorola Solutions.

Compatibility with Other Surveillance Systems

Flock offers software solutions that enable the integration of its ALPR and vehicle recognition technologies with pre-existing video surveillance setups, including Axon dashcams frequently utilized by law enforcement agencies.

Individual Tracking Tool

In May 2025, 404 Media disclosed that Flock was working on Nova, a "public safety data platform" designed to augment ALPR information with data sourced from breaches, public databases, and commercial records to monitor individuals without requiring a warrant. By May 2025, law enforcement agencies were accessing Nova through an Early Access initiative.

Gunfire Detection System

Launched in 2021, the Flock Raven is an acoustic gunshot detection device comparable to ShotSpotter. It captures five-second audio segments which are processed by artificial intelligence to identify gunfire, determine its precise location, and notify police. Similar to Flock’s ALPR units, Ravens can be installed on poles provided by the manufacturer and powered via solar energy.

Commercial Approach

Unlike many competitors focusing solely on law enforcement clients, Flock Safety also serves community groups and private sector organizations. The company highlights its commitment to crime prevention and neighborhood safety, naming products after birds to symbolize vigilance. Flock retains ownership and operational control over all hardware, leasing equipment to police departments, homeowner associations, educational institutions, retailers, and both commercial and residential property managers. Private users have the ability to create tailored watchlists and frequently share gathered data with law enforcement agencies. This diverse clientele supports Flock’s objective of broadening its market reach beyond traditional policing to encompass various community stakeholders.

Key Clients

Notable private sector customers of Flock include:

• Lowe's
• Simon Property Group
• Kaiser Permanente
• FedEx
• Pyramid Management Group
• Academy Sports + Outdoors
• Dierbergs Markets
• ProMedica

Effectiveness

Flock claims that its technology leads to substantial crime reduction in areas where it is implemented; in 2024, the company reported participation in 10% of successful criminal investigations across the United States.

A homeowners association in Fort Worth experienced a decline in vehicle-related thefts and property crimes from two or three incidents monthly to fewer than five per year over a two-year span. Multiple arrests were made involving stolen vehicles or outstanding warrants.

Law enforcement officials regard the technology as valuable for producing investigative leads and resolving cases that might otherwise remain unsolved, with some attributing a preventative impact. In May 2023, Atlanta police credited Flock's license plate recognition system for aiding in apprehending a shooter. In August 2023, cameras supplied by Flock assisted in locating a missing elderly woman in Alabama by tracking her vehicle.

In 2024, Forbes scrutinized claims of an 80% drop in residential burglaries in San Marino, California following installation of Flock’s AI cameras, noting that burglary rates slightly increased and serious offenses stayed consistent. Similar assertions about crime reductions in Fort Worth, Dayton, and Lexington were also questioned.

Privacy Issues and Risks of Abuse

Privacy concerns have been associated with automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) broadly, including those developed by Flock Safety. The deployment of Flock's surveillance systems has ignited discussions among advocates and critics alike, with opponents emphasizing the increased scope of public monitoring and its possible suppressive impact on individual freedoms. Entities such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) contend that ALPR technology frequently introduces more complications than solutions.

In March 2022, the ACLU publicly challenged Flock Safety's business practices and its product offerings. By 2023, the organization recognized that certain ALPR applications—like verifying plates against stolen vehicle databases, issuing AMBER Alerts, or managing toll payments—could be justified if implemented equitably and under strict supervision. Nonetheless, they remained opposed to comprehensive surveillance tracking individuals’ movements through ALPR data repositories similar to those maintained by Flock.

In 2023, Menlo Park, California initially declined a proposal to deploy Flock cameras due to privacy objections but reversed this decision in 2024 by approving their installation. In May 2024, it was reported that Flock’s data had been utilized in immigration enforcement activities.

A June 2024 decision from a Norfolk, Virginia Circuit Court judge ruled that gathering location information from the city's 172 Flock ALPR units amounts to a search protected under the Fourth Amendment, thereby requiring a warrant for evidence admissibility. This judgment compared ALPR data collection to the use of tracking devices ruled unconstitutional without warrants in United States v. Jones. Following this, in October 2024, the Institute for Justice initiated a federal lawsuit against the Norfolk Police Department on behalf of local residents, alleging unconstitutional surveillance practices infringing upon Fourth Amendment rights.

Although California law forbids sharing license plate reader information with federal authorities, disclosures in 2025 indicated that certain state and local law enforcement agencies have nevertheless transmitted such data.