City’s break with Flock Safety highlights growing AI privacy debate

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz.—Flagstaff, Ariz., has pulled the plug on its partnership with Flock Safety, voting unanimously in December to end the contract after residents raised privacy concerns about the company’s AI-powered license plate recognition technology. The move underscores the growing tension between cutting-edge security tools and public trust. 

During a city council meeting, Chief of Police Sean Connolly told council members that his department set about to provide the best ALPR system possible to meet the needs of the city and safety of its residents, but he acknowledged that upon review the system had “vulnerabilities” that ultimately led him to withdraw their system from Flock Safety’s nation and statewide lookup tool database. 

“Our mission is to serve victims of crime in our community,” he said. “It’s not for immigration enforcement. We made it part of our policy that our camera systems will not be used by federal immigration enforcement as we enforce state and local laws.” 

In the past year, Flock Safety has come under fire for providing information freely to organizations it wasn’t contracted with, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). 404 Media has also reported the police departments in the network have failed to redact license plate numbers in public record releases, resulting in a searchable tool called “HaveIBeenFlocked.” 

This wavering public trust in AI-powered security can be at odds with the security industry’s quickening use of the technology, which shows no signs of slowing down. 

In June of 2025, Flock Safety emphasized to Security Systems News (SSN) that it doesn’t control how its surveillance technology is used and that users must “…determine what public safety means for their community.” In a recent press release the company clarified that it never shares data on its own, and that the ability to limit, revoke, or deny access ti data is in the hands of the customer.

SSN contacted Flock Safety for comment on recent developments but had not received a response before publication. This story will be updated with any forthcoming reply.