Documented Incident
Surprise, Arizona cancels Flock Safety contract days after officer placed on leave over ALPR use
Event: August 17, 2026 · First reported: August 18, 2026 · 8 sources
The City of Surprise announced on Aug. 17, 2026 that it had terminated its contract with Flock Safety and requested removal of all equipment. The decision came less than a week after the city opened an investigation on Aug. 12 into a potential violation involving its automated license plate readers and placed an officer on leave pending the outcome. The city, which had used the technology for more than two years, said the cameras helped solve numerous crimes.
Surprise is one of several Arizona jurisdictions reassessing ALPR programs after reported misuse by individual officers, making it a test case for whether audit findings lead cities to add safeguards or end contracts entirely.
Key facts
- Surprise canceled its Flock Safety contract on Aug. 17, 2026 and asked for all equipment to be removed.
- The city's ALPR investigation opened Aug. 12, 2026; an officer was placed on leave pending its completion.
- Surprise had used the ALPR system for more than two years and credited it with helping solve crimes.
- Reported misuse cases elsewhere in the Valley include resignations by Chandler and Apache Junction officers and an investigation of a Goodyear officer.
- Tempe Police recently halted all Flock data sharing, citing community privacy concerns and misuse reports in other cities.
- The outcome of the Surprise investigation and any findings against the officer were not reported.
Timeline
- August 18, 2026Surprise cancels Flock contract after potential misuse
- August 18, 2026Surprise cancels Flock contract, asks company to remove all equipment
- August 17, 2026Surprise cancels Flock contract after potential misuse
- September 17, 2026Surprise residents question why Flock cameras remain up more than a month after contract cancellation
Sources
This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.
- Surprise cancels Flock contract after potential misuse (azfamily.com, August 18, 2026)
- City of Surprise cancels contract with Flock (12News, August 17, 2026)
- Surprise cancels Flock camera contract (Fox 10 Phoenix, August 18, 2026)
- Surprise cancels Flock contract, asks company to remove all equipment (Fox 10 Phoenix, August 18, 2026)
- City of Surprise ends contract with Flock Safety and requests removal of all equipment (Abc 15, August 17, 2026)
- Surprise cancels Flock contract after potential misuse (AZ Family, August 17, 2026)
- Surprise residents question why Flock cameras remain up more than a month after contract cancellation (ABC15 Arizona, September 17, 2026)
- Surprise residents question why Flock cameras remain up more than a month after contract cancellation (Headtopics, September 17, 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 18, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.