Tempe turns off its Flock license plate reader system, citing privacy concerns and risk for 'misuse'

• Tempe, Arizona, shut down its Flock cameras over privacy and misuse concerns.
• While police found no misuse in Tempe, there have been cases of suspected misuse in nearby cities.
• Tempe joins a growing list of cities ending their relationships with Flock, including Los Angeles.

More cities are walking away from collaborations with Flock.

Tempe, Arizona, said on Wednesday that it shut down its network of Flock Safety license plate readers and plans to terminate its contract with the surveillance company, citing privacy risks and cases of alleged misuse reported by other cities.

The city said that it would not replace the system with technology from another provider. Tempe operated 33 Flock cameras, which police used to identify vehicles during investigations.

"These cameras have helped our police officers do their jobs, and we don't discount that," Mayor Corey Woods said in a public statement. "But the risk of misuse is too great. We have to be able to provide public safety in a way that maintains the trust of our community. For Tempe, that means taking these cameras down."

Tempe police said in a press release that monthly audits had uncovered no improper searches of the city's Flock system. A nearby city, Apache Junction, had put an officer on administrative leave after the officer was accused of using the Flock system to track his wife.

According to the city's press release, the cameras may remain visible until Flock removes them, but they are no longer collecting license plate information. Existing records are generally deleted after 30 days unless connected to an active case or investigation.

Law enforcement agencies say Flock's technology helps officers identify vehicles and find suspects, including by searching for a specific car across tens of thousands of cameras nationwide.

But the system has also faced a growing backlash. Tempe joins a growing number of communities that have canceled, paused, or suspended their contracts over privacy risks, possible misuse, and the sharing of data with federal immigration authorities.

The Los Angeles Police Department recently allowed its agreement with Flock to expire after an audit raised concerns about federal agencies' access to the data. Mountain View, Santa Cruz, Santa Clara County, South Pasadena, Flagstaff, and Hillsborough, North Carolina, have also ended their relationships with the company since 2025.

Flock, founded in 2017, operates more than 80,000 cameras nationwide. The devices, typically mounted on poles and street signs, use machine learning to capture license plate numbers and letters, as well as vehicle characteristics like color, model, dents, and bumper stickers.

Flock did not immediately respond to a request for comments.