DC police union alleges improper MPD use of Flock data, calls for guardrails and transparency

Event: July 1, 2026 · First reported: September 11, 2026 · 1 source

The D.C. Police Union said in a statement released September 10, 2026 that the Metropolitan Police Department has neither adequate guardrails nor public transparency around its use of Flock Safety's license plate reader network. Union president Gregg Pemberton said the union identified "improper use by management" in July and filed misconduct complaints and a grievance, which the union says MPD denied while also restricting department-wide access to Flock data the same day. MPD told News4 that the grievance followed an Internal Affairs investigation that used camera data to examine a union member's alleged misconduct, and that the department considers that use appropriate. The dispute is set to be resolved through arbitration.

Why this matters

A police union — rather than a privacy group — is the party alleging misuse here, raising questions about who inside a department can query ALPR data and under what rules. How D.C. resolves the dispute may shape expectations for internal access controls and public disclosure in other agencies running Flock networks.

Key facts

The D.C. Police Union's statement was released September 10, 2026; it alleged "improper use by management" identified in July but did not specify the conduct or name the officials involved.
MPD said its license plate reader policy was last updated in April 2026, before the July incident, and described the policy as stringent.
MPD said the grievance stems from an Internal Affairs investigation that used LPR data to probe a union member's misconduct, and that the department's position is that this use was appropriate.
MPD did not answer News4's questions about who within the department can access Flock data or where the cameras are deployed.
The union did not call for eliminating the cameras, instead urging negotiated guardrails; the matter is headed to arbitration.

Sources

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

DC police union says department needs more guardrails for Flock camera use (NBC4 Washington, September 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 September 14, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.