By Dakota Smith
Los Angeles Times
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Police Department on Saturday stopped working with a surveillance technology company over concerns about the data’s use, according to an LAPD official.
Flock Safety operates 138 pole-mounted cameras in Los Angeles, allowing authorities to track vehicles that have been reported stolen or are registered to known fugitives. It is one of a handful of vendors used by the city for automated license plate readers.
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Flock has been criticized for sharing its data with state and federal officials. Advocacy groups worry that information could help President Trump’s immigration crackdown.
In late May, L.A. City Councilmember Ysabel Jurado introduced a motion asking the Board of Police Commissioners to “refrain from entering into any new Memoranda of Understanding, Contracts, or other Agreements, or implement any pilot programs with Flock Safety or its affiliates.”
Dean Gialamas, LAPD’s chief information officer, told several news outlets that the LAPD is seeking more protections around the information collected by the agency.
“The sticking point is around having very clear terms about who owns the data, what happens with the data once they collect it,” said Gialamas.
He said the LAPD would stop using Flock “until we can get those data, privacy, security and sharing concerns ironed out through a contractual relationship.”
The LAPD signed a three-year agreement with Flock in July 2023 that was already set to expire Saturday.
LAPD officials previously announced that the Los Angeles city attorney’s office was working on drawing up a new contract. It’s unclear where that process is given Gialamas’ announcement.
An LAPD spokesperson declined to comment Saturday.
A Flock spokesperson on Saturday called the LAPD’s decision a “surprise.”
“We are confident that through ongoing discussions with LAPD , we can clear up the current misconceptions that led to today’s disappointing pause,” said the spokesperson. “We hope to resume our successful partnership with the department soon.”
The spokesperson said that the LAPD has used license plate reader technology for years, and Flock’s position is that the technology should have “strong privacy protections” and oversight.
Headquartered in Atlanta , Flock has said it contracts with roughly 5,000 law enforcement agencies nationwide and that its technology complies with a California law that limits what information can be shared with federal authorities.
Reports that Flock has shared license plate data with federal authorities, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement , has led smaller cities across the country to end their relationships with the company.
In Northern California , the city of Mountain View turned off its 30 Flock cameras in February after officials announced that federal and state law enforcement agencies had accessed city data in violation of the city’s policies.
Weeks later, the Mountain View City Council voted to terminate its contract with Flock.
Protesters have demonstrated in recent months outside the LAPD’s downtown L.A. headquarters against Flock.
At the same time, LAPD boosters, homeowner associations and elected officials have pressured the city to speed up installation of the plate readers.
The LAPD’s automatic license plate reader system includes 248 pole-mounted cameras, 140 cameras mounted on police vehicle roofs, 1,500 cameras installed inside police vehicles and seven mobile trailer cameras, according to a report from the LAPD inspector general released Friday.
Inspector General Matthew Barragan recommended in the audit that the department suspend the deployment of any new automatic license plate readers, known as ALPRs, and the execution of new contracts.
Any new contracts should go through the Board of Police Commissioners , regardless of whether the agreement includes an exchange of funds, according to the report.
“Contracts or agreements shall establish enforceable requirements governing data security, privacy, access controls, retention and auditing to protect Department ALPR data and ensure accountability for its collection, use and disclosure,” the report said.
Three vendors, including Flock, provide technology and related services, according to the report.
“However, the department does not have formal contracts or agreements in place for all services to address [automatic license plate reader] data-security, privacy, and access-control requirements,” the report states.
Barragan’s office conducted a review of the police department’s use of automatic license plate readers over a two-month period from August to September 2025.
Hamid Khan , an organizer with the privacy advocacy group Stop LAPD Spying, said that his organization has been showing up at police commission meetings to complain about Flock since early 2025.
He questioned why the department is now stopping use of the technology.
“Our demand is that they should end all use of license-plate readers and not negotiate a new contract at all,” he said.
Stop LAPD Spying sued the city in May to obtain agreements with Flock, prompting the LAPD to turn over some documents.
Times staff writer Libor Jany contributed to this report.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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