Documented Incident
CBP accessed more than 80,000 Flock cameras in 2025 pilot, some without departments' knowledge
First reported: October 3, 2026 · 3 sources
An analysis published by The Conversation and republished by Fortune reports that U.S. Customs and Border Protection accessed more than 80,000 Flock Safety cameras during an undisclosed nationwide vehicle-tracking pilot in 2025, including at least one police department's cameras without that department's knowledge. The piece, written by Arizona State University criminology professor Henry F. Fradella, argues the broader problem lies in the network's design, which lets agencies query cameras they never purchased without warrants or supervisory approval. It cites Washington Post reporting that identified at least 100 police department employees charged with or accused of ALPR misuse, and notes Indianapolis police did not regularly audit Flock searches until reporters flagged thousands of questionable queries by one officer. Flock says misuse involves a small fraction of its more than 140,000 monthly users and that permanent audit logs help surface misconduct.
The reported CBP pilot raises questions about whether local agencies that deploy ALPRs retain meaningful control over who queries their data, and about what oversight exists when default sharing settings extend local cameras into a national search network.
Key facts
- CBP accessed more than 80,000 Flock cameras in 2025 during an undisclosed nationwide vehicle-tracking pilot, per the article
- The Washington Post identified at least 50 officers accused of ALPR misuse, including 26 who allegedly searched for current or former partners; later reporting raised the figure to at least 100 department employees charged or accused
- Braselton, Georgia Police Chief Michael Steffman was arrested by the GBI in November 2025 on stalking, harassment and ALPR-misuse charges after allegedly running roughly 600 searches on an ex-girlfriend and her daughter; he was found dead before trial
- Indianapolis police began systemwide auditing only after Post inquiries; the audit found alleged misuse by four additional officers, and Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said many proposed guardrails would not have prevented the conduct
- Flock's August 2026 changes shortened recommended retention from 30 to seven days and added case codes and misuse detection, though customers may retain data longer and emergencies can bypass case codes
- Courts remain split: a Virginia appeals court (October 2025) and a federal judge (January 2026) found Norfolk's camera network did not require a warrant or violate the Fourth Amendment; the ruling is under appeal
Sources
This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.
- Customs and Border Protection tapped 80,000 Flock cameras last year — police weren’t kept in the loop (Fortune, October 3, 2026)
- Customs and Border Protection tapped 80,000 Flock cameras last year — police weren’t kept in the loop (Biztoc, October 3, 2026)
- Customs and Border Protection tapped 80,000 Flock cameras last year — police weren't kept in the loop (Bundle, October 3, 2026)
More from Georgia
Everything we have documented in Georgia, or search every Georgia article in the archive.
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 October 4, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.