NYPD reviewing hundreds of officer searches of Flock database despite having no contract

Event: September 29, 2026 · First reported: September 29, 2026 · 6 sources

The NYPD said on September 29, 2026 that it is reviewing hundreds of instances in which officers ran searches through Flock Safety's license plate reader network, a system the department says it has never contracted with. The review follows a disclosure by LatinoJustice and the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project that at least two dozen officers used Flock's database 1,710 times between March 2023 and December. A department spokesman said there is no indication officers broke any NYPD rules and that the department does not share data with Flock.

Why this matters

The case raises questions about how officers in the nation's largest police department gained access to a nationwide surveillance database outside any formal procurement or oversight process, a pattern advocates say could exist at other agencies.

Key facts

Advocacy groups documented 1,710 Flock searches by at least 24 NYPD officers between March 2023 and last December; 418 searches listed no officer name.
In 614 of the searches, groups said officers gave no stated reason or used codes and shorthand that did not explain the purpose.
The NYPD enacted new vendor rules in June requiring First Deputy Commissioner Tania Kinsella's approval for planned vendor meetings; a spokesman said the change was unrelated to the Flock disclosure.
The NYPD said it told Flock in October it was not interested in a contract, citing its existing work with Vigilant Solutions and its own license plate reader system.
LatinoJustice and S.T.O.P. learned of the searches via the website Have I Been Flocked and have filed a Freedom of Information Law request; Flock declined to comment.

Timeline

September 29, 2026NYPD reviewing department's use of controversial AI license plate readers owned by Flock Safety
September 29, 2026NYPD reviewing department’s use of controversial AI license plate readers owned by Flock Safety
September 29, 2026NYPD reviewing department’s use of controversial AI license plate readers owned by Flock Safety
September 29, 2026NYPD reviewing department use of controversial AI license plate readers owned by Flock Safety
September 28, 2026NYPD officers accessed Flock data in over 1,000 searches despite not having a contract

Sources

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

NYPD reviewing department's use of controversial AI license plate readers owned by Flock Safety (New York Daily News, September 29, 2026)
NYPD reviewing department’s use of controversial AI license plate readers owned by Flock Safety (Hanford Sentinel, September 29, 2026)
NYPD reviewing department’s use of controversial AI license plate readers owned by Flock Safety (The Brunswick News, September 29, 2026)
NYPD Reviews Use of Flock Safety AI License Plate Readers (govtech.com, September 30, 2026)
NYPD reviewing department use of controversial AI license plate readers owned by Flock Safety (nydailynews.com, September 29, 2026)
NYPD officers accessed Flock data in over 1,000 searches despite not having a contract (Washington Examiner, September 28, 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 5, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.