Documented Incident
East Bridgewater and Grafton halt Flock camera use, joining wave of Massachusetts departures
Event: August 21, 2026 · First reported: August 21, 2026 · 5 sources
East Bridgewater police announced on Friday that the department is ending its relationship with Flock Safety, with Chief Michael Jenkins citing concerns about data practices and security along with questions raised by residents. The town had one Flock camera installed, and Jenkins said no additional cameras will be added, while noting that automated license plate reader technology can be a useful investigative tool when properly governed. The same afternoon, Grafton Police Chief Neil A. Minardi said his department had begun deactivating all Flock devices, citing community concerns as well as vandalism and theft of the units. The announcements followed a series of Massachusetts actions, including Hopkinton terminating its contract after a legal review and Lynn placing two officers on paid administrative leave after a system audit.
The cluster of Massachusetts cancellations shows local officials weighing vendor data practices and procurement compliance independently of the technology's stated investigative value. How these towns document their reasoning creates a reference point for other communities reviewing ALPR contracts.
Key facts
- East Bridgewater Police Chief Michael Jenkins announced the end of the town's Flock relationship on Friday, citing data practices, security and community concerns; the town had one camera installed.
- Grafton Police Chief Neil A. Minardi said the department began deactivating all Flock devices, citing community concerns plus vandalism and theft of devices.
- Hopkinton terminated its Flock contract on Aug. 20 after Town Manager Elaine Lazarus said a legal review found the agreement did not meet Massachusetts procurement requirements; cameras are to be removed by Sept. 30.
- Lynn police placed two officers on paid administrative leave and opened an Internal Affairs investigation after an audit identified what the department called a concerning pattern in some searches; the allegations have not been adjudicated.
- The ACLU of Massachusetts said in July that at least 80 police departments in the state had active Flock contracts. Flock CEO Garrett Langley announced new privacy measures earlier this month, including a required auditing tool and shortening plate data retention from a month to a week.
Sources
This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.
- East Bridgewater drops Flock cameras over data , security concerns (wcvb.com, August 21, 2026)
- East Bridgewater, MA Cancels Flock Safety Camera Contract (Hoodline, August 21, 2026)
- East Bridgewater police to terminate contract with Flock Safety (turnto10.com, August 21, 2026)
- East Bridgewater Police Department to Terminate Contract with Flock Safety (John Guilfoil Public Relations, August 21, 2026)
- East Bridgewater police to terminate contract with Flock Safety (coastalabc.com, August 21, 2026)
More from Massachusetts
Everything we have documented in Massachusetts, or search every Massachusetts 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 August 22, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.