Documented Incident
Lexington residents urge council to cancel Flock contract after audit logs show outside-agency searches
Event: September 18, 2026 · First reported: September 18, 2026 · 2 sources
At a September 18, 2026 Lexington Fayette Urban County Council meeting, several residents called on the city to terminate its contract with Flock Safety, pointing to WKYT Investigates reporting on the police department's license plate reader system. Audit logs obtained by WKYT through an open records request showed more than 7 million searches of Lexington's system from January through July of that year, with just over 63,000 conducted by the Lexington Police Department. Speakers argued the city can audit its own officers but has no control over the out-of-state and out-of-county agencies that account for the vast majority of queries. Lexington Police said no LPD officer has misused the system and pointed to required case numbers, stated search reasons, and quarterly audits.
The dispute illustrates a recurring oversight question for cities that join shared ALPR networks: local policies and audits govern local officers, but the bulk of searches of a city's data may come from agencies outside its jurisdiction and accountability structures.
Key facts
- WKYT's review of audit logs found more than 7 million searches of Lexington's Flock system from January through July, with just over 63,000 by Lexington Police; Kentucky agencies accounted for roughly 4% of all searches.
- Louisville Metro Police searched Lexington's system more often than Lexington's own officers, according to WKYT; a former LMPD officer was indicted last year over alleged Flock use to monitor an ex-girlfriend, and LMPD announced an investigation into another officer this month.
- Shively Police arrested one of its officers last month, alleging he used Flock cameras to track an ex-girlfriend more than 2,000 times; these are allegations, not convictions.
- Gwinnett County (Ga.) Police, described as the third-highest searcher of Lexington's system, fired and arrested three officers this month in a Flock misuse investigation.
- Commander Matthew Greathouse said the department relies on the signed agreement and other agencies' oaths, and noted larger agencies may run searches across every network they are connected to; Flock Safety did not respond to WKYT's request for comment.
Sources
This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.
- WKYT Investigates: Lexington residents call for end to Flock camera contract after WKYT investigation (WKYT, September 18, 2026)
- WKYT Investigates: Lexington residents call for end to Flock camera contract after WKYT investigation (WKYT, September 18, 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 20, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.