Columbia, Missouri police expand public Flock transparency portal with added usage data

First reported: August 11, 2026 · 1 source

The Columbia Police Department announced updates to its online Flock Safety transparency portal, adding more detail about how automated license plate reader technology is used in the city. The department said in a news release that it aims to use the technology responsibly while maintaining dialogue with residents. Columbia's City Council approved the Flock camera system in a 5-2 vote in October 2024 following mixed public feedback, and the deployment has drawn protests over the city's surveillance and policing practices.

Why this matters

Transparency portals are one of the few public-facing accountability tools for ALPR programs, and what metrics an agency chooses to publish shapes how closely residents and officials can scrutinize how the cameras are used.

Key facts

Columbia City Council approved the Flock Safety system in October 2024 by a 5-2 vote.
The system generated more than 5,500 alerts during its first year of use, according to prior reporting.
The city's acceptable use policy bars using Flock data for civil immigration enforcement, traffic enforcement, harassment or intimidation, personal use, or targeting based solely on a protected class.
The specific new metrics added to the portal were not detailed in the report.

Sources

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

Columbia Police Department adds metrics to its Flock transparency portal (KOMU 8, August 11, 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 15, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.