Flock Safety to make auditing and data-retention safeguards mandatory for police by Jan. 1

Flock Safety, the Atlanta-based maker of license-plate-reading cameras, announced that new privacy safeguards will become mandatory for its law-enforcement customers on Jan. 1. The changes include a required auditing system that flags unusual searches, temporarily locks out users while investigations are reviewed, and obliges officers to link each query to a specific criminal case. The company also said it will shorten its standard data-retention period from 30 days to seven days, with longer storage only for evidence tied to active cases.

In a video statement, CEO Garrett Langley said the measures are intended to prevent misuse of the technology, which he described as powerful investigative tools. > "If we’re going to build tools this powerful, we have an obligation to help protect the public from the small number of officers that misuse them," Langley said. He added that the cameras do not provide live video, cannot record conversations or transcribe speech, and that Flock will not sell data to third parties, add facial-recognition features, or integrate drones.

The company cited its role in locating missing persons, identifying stolen vehicles and supporting criminal investigations, noting that its cameras helped solve cases involving 1,000 missing people and 20,000 stolen cars in July. Langley also urged state lawmakers to require independent audits of law-enforcement use and to impose stricter penalties for violations.

The announcement follows incidents in North Carolina where two officers were accused of using the cameras to stalk individuals, raising public concerns about privacy and oversight.