Documented Incident
Suffolk County legislators question Flock Safety on data retention, access at public hearing
Event: October 8, 2026 · First reported: October 8, 2026 · 6 sources
Suffolk County, New York lawmakers questioned Flock Safety representatives at a public hearing on October 8, 2026, about privacy, data security, camera locations and oversight of the company's license plate reader network. Roughly 200 Flock cameras are deployed in the county by the Suffolk County Police Department, the Sheriff's Office and 10 towns and villages. Flock said Suffolk data is kept up to 30 days before deletion and that the system reads vehicles rather than faces, while the District Attorney's Office credited the cameras with aiding investigations. Several legislators said their questions were answered but indicated local legislation setting access and use rules may still be pursued.
The hearing is an example of a county legislature publicly examining an ALPR deployment that grew without a local use policy, and the outcome could shape whether Suffolk adopts binding rules on who may query the data.
Key facts
- Nearly 200 Flock cameras are in use in Suffolk County across the police department, sheriff's office and 10 towns and villages.
- Flock's Trevor Chandler said the technology identifies vehicles, not people, and does not use facial recognition or DMV records.
- Flock officials said Suffolk County data is retained up to 30 days before permanent deletion.
- Assistant DA Allen Bode argued plate reads can narrow police stops to a specific vehicle and reduce overpolicing.
- Legislator Chad Lennon raised concerns about misuse by bad actors; no local ordinance has been enacted as of the hearing.
Timeline
- October 8, 2026Long Island lawmakers question Flock Safety over privacy, oversight of license plate readers
- October 8, 2026Long Island lawmakers question Flock Safety over privacy, oversight of license plate readers
Sources
This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.
- Long Island lawmakers question Flock Safety over privacy, oversight of license plate readers (Newyork Cbs Local, October 8, 2026)
- Long Island lawmakers question Flock Safety over privacy, oversight of license plate readers (CBS News, October 8, 2026)
- Fight over ‘Flock' cameras on Long Island (Newsbreak, October 9, 2026)
- Long Island lawmakers question Flock Safety over privacy, oversight of license plate readers (Headtopics, October 9, 2026)
- Fight over ‘Flock' cameras on Long Island (NBC 4 New York, October 9, 2026)
- Privacy fears fuel debate over Suffolk cameras (Headtopics, October 9, 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 14, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.