LAPD ending agreement with surveillance company Flock Safety amid privacy concerns

LOS ANGELES (KABC) — The Los Angeles Police Department is ending its agreement with Flock Safety, a company that operates surveillance cameras throughout the city.

LAPD announced that it will allow its agreement with the company to expire Saturday, ending the department’s three-year relationship with the security firm – at least for now.

Flock cameras capture images of vehicles and license plates on roadways. LAPD says the cameras can help track down suspects involved in crimes.

LAPD says Flock Safety’s cameras are audited and inspected for compliance regularly and stored data is kept between seven and 30 days before it’s deleted.

The cameras have drawn mixed reactions from residents. Some support the surveillance technology, while others argue it violates privacy rights. LAPD officials said those concerns influenced the department’s decision not to renew the agreement.

“This contract is not being renewed because of serious concerns around civil liberties and civil rights issues, particularly around privacy and the data that is being collected from these cameras,” said Dean Gialamas, LAPD’s chief information officer. “The LAPD had to make a difficult decision, in this case discontinuing using Flock services until we can get those data, privacy, security and sharing concerns ironed out through a contractual relationship.”

LAPD says the department does not use Flock’s cameras to help U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“The use is strictly for law enforcement purposes, and it is inherently not for any immigration purposes,” Gialamas said. “So the cameras can be searched. If there’s criminal activity, there needs to be an active case, users have to be registered in the system, trained in the system.”

It’s uncertain whether the cameras will continue recording after the agreement expires.

LAPD does not own the cameras. In many cases, they are owned by organizations and homeowners’ associations that have allowed police and the city to access them.

Police said they are continuing discussions with Flock Safety about revising the agreement. LAPD wants updated language addressing privacy and data storage to be included in any new contract.

Eyewitness News reached out to Flock Safety for a response on LAPD’s decision.

“Flock’s position has been simple: if this technology is going to be used, it should be used with strong privacy protections, strict auditability, and clear oversight,” a statement from Flock said in part. “While this latest development comes as a surprise, we remain committed to continuing our active and ongoing conversations with LAPD to find a path forward. We are proud of our partnership with LAPD and the results it has achieved for the city.”