LAPD Ends Contract with Surveillance Firm Flock Safety Over Civil Liberties Concerns

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) has ended its contract with Flock Safety, a surveillance company that uses license plate cameras to track vehicles across the US. The three-year contract expired on Saturday, and the LAPD cited 'serious concerns' over civil liberties and privacy as the reason for not renewing it.

Flock Safety's cameras are operated by the Atlanta-based company and not the LAPD, but the LAPD is seeking new language in its contract to address data storage and sharing concerns. The LAPD's decision not to renew the contract may set a precedent for other law enforcement agencies, particularly given the growing concerns over surveillance and data collection.

The LAPD's chief information officer, Dean Gialamas, stated that the department had to make a difficult decision to discontinue using Flock Safety's services until the data, privacy, security, and sharing concerns could be ironed out through a contractual relationship. The LAPD is now seeking to address these concerns and establish a new contract that better protects the civil liberties of its citizens.