Documented Incident
Story County sheriff says four outside police agencies accessed Flock data without permission in October
Event: October 1, 2025 · First reported: August 14, 2026 · 1 source
At a Story County Board of Supervisors meeting, Sgt. Elizabeth Quinn of the Story County Sheriff's Office said that on Oct. 1 and 2, 2025, four outside law enforcement agencies — Oklahoma City PD, Kent County PD in Missouri, Ankeny PD and West Des Moines PD — obtained data from Story County Flock cameras without the sheriff's office's permission. Quinn said she contacted Flock Safety, which limited the access to those two days but did not confirm to her what had caused it. The board is weighing whether to renew its contract for two Flock cameras in Ames at $5,000 per camera per year over two years.
The episode illustrates how ALPR data can reach agencies a local government never approved, raising questions about who controls sharing settings and how quickly unauthorized access is detected — issues facing any jurisdiction negotiating a surveillance camera contract.
Key facts
- Sgt. Elizabeth Quinn said 33 Story County Sheriff's Office members have Flock access, and that searches require stated reasons and are logged and audited.
- The sheriff's office says it intentionally shares Flock data only with the Iowa State University Police Department.
- Proposed renewal: $5,000 per camera per year for two cameras over a two-year term; no vote had been scheduled as of the report.
- Board Vice Chair Latifah Faisal said her concerns are about Flock Safety and nationwide use of the system, not the sheriff's office staff.
- DeFlock.org, a volunteer-run ALPR tracking site, lists roughly 1,000 such cameras in Iowa and about 250 in the Des Moines metro.
Sources
This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.
- Unauthorized access of Flock camera data released in Story County, contract renewal discussed (WHO13.com, August 14, 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 16, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.