Documented Incident
Flock announces misuse safeguards and 7-day retention default as OKC council delays contract vote
Event: August 13, 2026 · First reported: August 13, 2026 · 1 source
Flock Safety announced on Aug. 13 a set of product changes it says will curb officer misuse of license plate reader data, including a 7-day default retention period for new customers, a forthcoming "Evidence Mode" for preserving data in active investigations, and a mandatory audit-assistance feature that locks out users whose activity is flagged as abnormal. The announcement came as Oklahoma City officials continued to postpone a decision on renewing the city's contract for roughly 300 ALPR cameras, in use since 2022. Councilmember Camal Pennington has said his concerns center on auditing officer searches and limiting data sharing to local jurisdictions, while Councilwoman JoBeth Hamon told The Oklahoman the update does not change her opposition. Oklahoma City police officials said they had not yet reviewed the changes and declined to comment.
The changes are vendor-set defaults rather than legal requirements, and existing customers must opt in to the shorter retention period — leaving retention and audit practices to individual agencies and city councils. Oklahoma City's repeatedly deferred vote illustrates how local bodies are weighing company self-regulation against demands for enforceable contract terms.
Key facts
- Flock announced the changes Aug. 13; new customers default to 7-day retention, down from 30 days, while existing customers may opt in.
- "Evidence Mode," allowing detectives to move specific ALPR data to cold storage for active investigations, had not yet launched and was described as rolling out in coming weeks.
- All law enforcement customers will be required to use audit assistance, which suspends users flagged for abnormal activity pending administrator review.
- Oklahoma City has used Flock cameras since 2022 and has nearly 300 in the metro; the renewal item has been placed on and pushed back from multiple council agendas.
- Flock says it has 120,000 cameras across 49 states serving more than 6,000 agencies; CEO Garrett Langley told USA TODAY the cameras aided 1,000 missing person and 22,000 stolen vehicle cases in July alone.
Sources
This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.
- Flock to update software to prevent police misuse as OKC weighs camera contract (The Oklahoman, August 13, 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 17, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.