OAKLAND, CA - Flock Safety, the Atlanta-based company that has built a national network of license plate surveillance cameras that feed data to local police departments, hosted a private virtual training session for law enforcement officers.
The webinar, which was 60 minutes long, was to provide detailed information so that officers could learn how to speak to city councils about Flock's technology, according to the Oaklandside.
The company's surveillance cameras track people's movements by scanning the license plates of all vehicles that come within their range. The data can instantly alert police to wanted vehicles and can be used by investigators to trace the routes drivers took. In Oakland alone, there are nearly 300 scanners.
The training, according to a public description on Flock's website, equips officers with "clear ways to reframe common concerns and respond to misinformation."
Concerns have multiplied over the past year as Flock's cameras have popped up across the Bay Area by the thousands. In Oakland, the City Council approved a $2 million contract with Flock for hundreds of cameras in December, but only after dozens of residents voiced the opposition, citing various concerns.
Some of those concerns included the potential that the data could get into the wrong hands and fears that the powerful camera network could be abused by police and others with access. Residents also worried that the cameras could be hacked.
Privacy advocates and immigrant rights groups have expressed concern after law enforcement agencies in other states allegedly used Flock's cameras to locate people for deportation, monitor activists, and investigate people seeking abortions.
Berkeley city leaders pulled back from a planned $2 million expansion of their contract with Flock earlier this month, citing instances in other states where the company's cameras have been used to monitor protests and assist in immigration enforcement.
Flock has an extensive lobbying operation in Sacramento that routinely contacts state lawmakers, the governor's office, the California Highway Patrol, and other agencies. "Flock strongly supports democratic oversight of public safety technology and we’re proud to provide the agencies we work with the information they need to respond to important questions,” Flock Safety's senior director of public affairs Trevor Chandler said in a statement.
Privacy experts say companies recruiting police to advocate for their technology is not a new strategy. Flock has also sought to promote customer success stories by directly pitching them to reporters. In December, after Oakland’s council voted to stick with Flock, the company contacted journalists offering interviews to learn “how Flock technology is helping Oakland and the Bay Area ensure safer streets, while supporting the local values of these communities."
Brian Hofer, executive director of Secure Justice, a privacy and civil liberties group, said Flock's training reminds him of public relations strategies used by other surveillance technology vendors, like ShotSpotter.
Hofer said he thinks Flock is seeking support from law enforcement officers in reaction to the dozens of jurisdictions that have canceled their contracts with the company. Since August 2021, 88 of Flock's contracts have been terminated. "At the rate that they’re losing contracts, this is a big piece of evidence that they’re panicking,” Hofer said.
To date, Flock has contracts with more than 5,000 law enforcement agencies throughout the country. Not everyone in Oakland, however, opposes surveillance tools.
Many Oakland residents support the use of Flock devices to address crime, Chandler said. "The loudest voices that sometimes show up at a city council meeting don’t always reflect the vast majority of folks who polling shows, specifically in Oakland, actually want this technology,” Chandler said.
Regionally, many business leaders and business owners have signaled strong support for police technology. In an October 2025 letter from the president of the Bay Area Council, which represents nearly 400 of the region's largest employers, Jim Wunderman wrote that Flock's cameras "deter crime and make it possible to hold repeat offenders accountable, helping keep momentum toward a safer and more vibrant city."
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