Cottonwood, Arizona cancels Flock contract and orders 11 license plate readers removed

Event: September 22, 2026 · First reported: October 1, 2026 · 1 source

Cottonwood city officials announced Sept. 4 that the city's 11 Flock Safety automated license plate readers had been switched off, and at a Sept. 22 City Council work session City Manager Mario Cifuentez said the city would cancel its Flock ALPR contract and have the cameras taken down. The decision followed reporting by The Journal on how police searched the ALPR data and subsequent public criticism. No timeline has been set for physically removing the cameras or formally terminating the contract, and the cancellation does not affect the Cottonwood Police Department's separate lease of Flock drones.

Why this matters

Cottonwood's reversal, coming weeks after neighboring Sedona removed its own cameras, shows how local records disclosures about actual ALPR search activity can reshape council decisions on surveillance contracts.

Key facts

Cottonwood shut off its 11 Flock ALPRs on Sept. 4; the council work session decision to cancel the contract came Sept. 22.
The Journal reported CPD ran 4,335 searches of the Flock network from January to July 24, 2026, roughly 27% of them for traffic infractions and hit-and-runs, with none citing human trafficking.
Cottonwood accepted a $213,992.80 Arizona DPS anti-human-trafficking grant on June 17, 2025 that was cited in the Flock purchase agreement; Police Chief Brian Freudenthal said the grant was never used for the license plate readers and that the system was funded through a budget line item.
A public records response provided Sept. 1 indicated no Verde Valley municipal agency, including Cottonwood and Sedona police, submitted sex trafficking, forced labor trafficking or child sex trafficking cases to the Yavapai County Attorney's Office from Jan. 1, 2023 to the present.
Councilman Bob Marks said the city would wait on state legislation and Attorney General findings before considering reinstalling the technology; Cifuentez said any future consideration would begin with public meetings.

Sources

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

Flock plucked out of Cottonwood (Journalaz.com, October 1, 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 October 4, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.