Flock, Axon, Motorola, Verkada CEOs Skip Senate Subcommittee Hearing on ALPR Surveillance

Event: September 23, 2026 · First reported: September 24, 2026 · 3 sources

Executives from Flock Safety, Axon Enterprise, Motorola Solutions, and Verkada declined invitations to testify voluntarily at a Sept. 23 hearing of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism, which is examining automated license plate readers and related surveillance technology. Subcommittee Chairman Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and ranking member Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), along with Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.), criticized the absences; Blumenthal said the refusal suggested the companies had something to hide. The panel instead heard from civil liberties experts, cybersecurity engineer Benn Jordan, and Lindsey Isaacs, a Florida woman who said a Flock camera misidentified her vehicle in a fatal crash investigation, leading to her arrest on three counts of vehicular homicide and 13 days in jail before charges were dropped.

Why this matters

Congressional interest in ALPR networks has drawn bipartisan support, and the vendors' decision not to appear leaves open questions about data access, security practices, and oversight that local governments currently negotiate contract by contract.

Key facts

Hawley invited Flock CEO Garrett Langley, Axon CEO Rick Smith, Motorola Solutions CEO Greg Brown, and Verkada CEO Filip Kaliszan; none attended the Sept. 23 hearing.
Hawley said a prior letter from Langley acknowledged Flock's database could be used to search for people in images, which Hawley called concerning.
Jordan testified that Flock did not require multifactor authentication for clients and that he found law enforcement accounts offered for sale by a dark web vendor.
Five Indianapolis police officers were charged with misusing Flock data; Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears alleged they ran plates to track individuals they often knew personally. The charges are allegations that have not been resolved.
The Los Angeles Police Department, which the article says recently ended its relationship with Flock, is planning a 10-year, $235 million Axon contract covering more than 1,600 license plate readers.

Sources

This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.

Flock and Other Tech Firms Decline to Testify as Senate Probes Mass Surveillance Concerns (The Epoch Times, September 24, 2026)
Flock And Other Tech Firms Decline Senate Testimony On Mass Surveillance (zerohedge.com, September 25, 2026)
Flock And Other Tech Firms Decline Senate Testimony On Mass Surveillance (Biztoc, September 25, 2026)

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 September 28, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.