Documented Incident
Alabama sheriffs respond to Flock Safety's new data retention and search-audit policies
Event: August 13, 2026 · First reported: August 14, 2026 · 4 sources
Flock Safety announced four policy changes, including cutting default data retention from 30 days to 7 days, letting agencies choose which cases can be searched by outside departments, requiring officers to log a specific reason for each vehicle search, and mandating that all customers adopt Flock's "Audit Assistance" tool by year's end. Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones welcomed the shorter retention window and narrower sharing, while Alabama Sheriff's Association Executive Director Huey "Hoss" Mack called seven days somewhat short for cases where a crime or disappearance is not reported right away. Autauga County Sheriff Mark Harrell said his office recently installed cameras at four locations and limits searches to known vehicles in serious cases. The changes follow growing national scrutiny, including accusations that officers in Alabama and elsewhere misused the system.
Retention limits, per-search justification requirements, and mandatory audit tools are vendor-set rather than legislated, so how agencies apply them — and whether anyone independently verifies compliance — will shape what oversight looks like in other states.
Key facts
- Flock is reducing default retention from 30 days to 7 days, with longer preservation available through a new "Evidence Mode."
- Officers will be required to enter a specific reason for each vehicle search, and all customers must use Flock's "Audit Assistance" tool by the end of the year.
- Sheriff Jones supported the shorter retention period; Mack said seven days may be too short for delayed reports of missing persons or crimes.
- Montgomery Police Chief Jim Graboys said in July the department is pursuing AI integration so cameras could send real-time notifications.
- Flock CEO Garrett Langley says the company helped solve more than 1 million crimes and detected over 10,000 missing people in 2025 — a company figure not independently verified in the article.
Sources
This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.
- ‘People’s information should be protected’: Alabama sheriffs react to Flock camera policy changes (Wbrc Fox6 News, August 14, 2026)
- Alabama sheriffs react to Flock camera policy changes (WSFA, August 13, 2026)
- Alabama sheriff's react to flock camera policy changes (WSFA, August 13, 2026)
- ‘People’s information should be protected’: Alabama sheriffs react to Flock camera policy changes (Https://www.fox10tv.com, August 14, 2026)
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About this record
BlockFlockNow documents reported incidents involving Flock Safety cameras and automated license plate readers: council votes, contract decisions, misuse by authorized users, lawsuits, audits, and community response. Every record is reviewed by a person before publication. New to the topic? Start with What is Flock?, find meetings near you, or learn how to request your town's camera records.
Updated August 17, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.