Flock CEO Says It Has Not Fired Police Customers, Defends 'Just Gunshots' Claim at Disrupt

Langley said that if a customer knowingly broke the law, Flock would fire them immediately. He described internal debates as nuanced, asking what if two officers out of 50 were caught. “Today, we haven’t fired any customers, but it’s not off the table in the case of some pretty drastic law-abiding issue,” he said. TechCrunch reported that the remarks came after multiple reports identifying dozens of police officers who were arrested, fired, or told to resign after abusing access to Flock’s nationwide database of license plate detections, sometimes to stalk people without permission.

Flock, based in Atlanta, Georgia, makes license plate reader cameras and has more than 100,000 cameras across the United States, according to TechCrunch. The cameras allow local police departments and federal agencies to track vehicle license plates and people as they pass by. Because law enforcement customers can track license plates outside their jurisdictions, some police departments can track cars nationwide through Flock’s central database. The company has become a flashpoint in surveillance debates, prompting towns, cities, and communities to cancel contracts or let them expire, citing privacy fears. There have been multiple reports of Flock reactivating cameras against customers’ wishes, prompting residents to tape trash bags over cameras and, in other cases, destroy them.

While Langley spoke on stage, demonstrators gathered outside the venue to protest Flock’s AI-powered surveillance. TechCrunch reported that some wore costumes like the red robes from “The Handmaid’s Tale” and cardboard replicas of Flock cameras on their heads, while clips from the film “1984” played on a loudspeaker. Others carried signs saying “Flock off” or “Flock = ICE.” Flock does not have a direct contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, but the agency has reportedly accessed Flock data in the past by collaborating with local police departments that use Flock cameras, according to TechCrunch.

Ashley Ortiz, an organizer with local progressive activist group The Wolves, told TechCrunch she wants local lawmakers to take constituents’ concerns more seriously. “I think Flock is going to be the start of a lot more community building, because we can come together around something as bipartisan as not enjoying mass surveillance,” Ortiz said. She added that Republicans, conservatives, and sovereign citizens have joined opposition to AI-powered mass surveillance. Asked what question she had for Langley, Ortiz said, “What about AI-powered mass surveillance should be making us feel safe?”

Langley argued on stage that Flock’s license plate tracking system allows police departments to solve more crimes and solve them faster. He offered anecdotes, including a stolen car with a baby in the back seat that was found quickly because of Flock systems, according to TechCrunch. Flock has also faced criticism over cybersecurity issues and camera accuracy problems that led to dozens of police stops and wrongful arrests, including a journalist driving a review vehicle. Some communities have replaced Flock contracts with rival surveillance companies such as Axon, which makes Taser weapons and police bodycams. Asked about a potential sale to Axon, Langley said the company was not considering a sale. “No, we’ve no desire to sell the company.”

In a separate Disrupt interview, TechCrunch AI reported that Langley said Flock’s gunshot detection microphones detect “just gunshots,” while the company’s website describes broader capabilities. Flock’s Gunshot Detection product listens for gunshots and other ambient audio across nearby neighborhoods to provide “earlier awareness” to potential public safety events. The website says the audio systems can pinpoint gunfire instantly and also detect street takeovers early to stop chaos before it escalates, identify severe crashes in real time so help arrives faster, and expand awareness beyond gunfire with alerts for car crashes, fireworks, and sideshows.

The feature was announced last year and faced immediate pushback. When announcing it, Flock said the technology would listen for sounds of “screaming.” Privacy groups condemned the company for listening for human voices, prompting Flock to amend its website to say “sounds of human distress.” Flock later said it pulled the ability to detect distress altogether from customers who tried it. Langley pushed back against what he described as misinformation, arguing that many critics misunderstand how its products work. He told Loizos that most people do not call 911 when they hear a gunshot, which is why Flock built the product. He said some customers asked whether the system could alert them if someone was being abducted or harmed in parking lots. He said the idea seemed logical, so Flock prototyped it and rolled it out to a couple of customers, but some people had concerns. He conceded mistakes but said he was listening to customers.

“There’s only a couple customers that were prototyping it with us, and we said, ‘OK, great, it’s just going to do gunshots, plain and simple,’” Langley said. “If a gun goes off, we’ll notify, and if not, that’s all it’s going to listen to.” When asked about the contradiction between his remarks and the company’s marketing materials, he responded, “It’s just gunshots.”

Flock spokesperson Paris Lewbel told TechCrunch that Flock’s gunshot detection technology is primarily used to detect gunfire but is also capable of detecting fireworks, sideshows, and potential car crashes. Lewbel said Langley’s remarks were intended to emphasize that Flock’s Audio Detection technology is not designed to monitor conversations or analyze speech and does not currently detect human screaming or distress. An FAQ section of Flock’s website states that “in addition to gunshots, Flock Gunshot and Audio Detection can detect fireworks, sideshows, and other disruptive community events.” The company says its detection library is continually expanding to include emerging threats relevant to customers’ specific needs.

Langley said the number of Flock’s microphones is comparable to ShotSpotter, which as of 2024 had about 25,000 microphones, according to Wired. His comments came amid mounting scrutiny from privacy advocates, including the ACLU, and members of the public concerned about misuse of Flock’s technology, with some destroying surveillance cameras. Texas and Florida have moved to end their relationships with Flock, and Amazon’s Ring has ended its partnership with the company, TechCrunch AI reported.

Editor's Summary

At TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, Flock CEO Garrett Langley said the company has not terminated any police or law enforcement customers over abuse of its systems, defending its products while protesters gathered outside. He also said Flock's audio detection microphones listen only for gunshots, while the company's website and a spokesperson say the technology can detect fireworks, sideshows, and car crashes. Flock faces growing scrutiny from privacy advocates and public officials, with Texas and Florida moving to end relationships and Amazon's Ring ending its partnership.