Sen. Chuck Schumer is demanding that Flock Safety delete personal data not connected to crimes and disclose whether federal agencies have tapped into its nationwide license-plate database, ramping up pressure on a company whose cameras now blanket much of the country. The senator sent his demands directly to the company as scrutiny of its surveillance network intensifies from Capitol Hill to local city councils.
According to Bloomberg, Schumer is demanding that Flock Safety delete personal data not connected to crimes and disclose whether federal agencies have accessed the company's nationwide license-plate database. As CBS News New York reported, Schumer sent a letter to Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langley asking the company to answer a series of questions about its cameras and data practices, with a response requested by October 16. The outlet reported that Flock Safety had not responded to its request for comment.
A Camera Network Few Drivers Can Avoid
Flock Safety's footprint is already vast. The company says it has more than 120,000 cameras in use across 49 states, according to the Christian Science Monitor. Using artificial intelligence, the cameras scan license plate numbers, vehicle models and visible damage while logging timestamps, and the Monitor's report notes each passing car can generate six to 12 snapshots that are stored in a database.
Per CBS News New York, Flock's software can link a vehicle to its owner's phone number and family, and the company maintains a database logging where vehicles have been over time. Flock Safety has said its technology can help police track suspects, stolen cars and missing people, and per Schumer, the company has described its cameras as encrypted and secure. But a CBS News investigation found that the Flock CEO's claim that the cameras helped solve 1 million crimes in 2025 was not supported by available evidence.
Unauthorized Searches and a Breach Raise Alarms
The company's own evidence policy, posted on its website, states that Flock's standard retention period is seven calendar days from the date of capture unless a customer agreement specifies otherwise, and that customers retain ownership and control of all data generated through their use of the Flock platform. Yet oversight gaps have already surfaced. According to the New York Times, at least two dozen NYPD officers made more than 1,700 searches of Flock's nationwide database between March 2023 and December 2025, even though the department did not have a Flock contract.
CBS News New York also reported that hackers breached one Flock camera and obtained more than 1 million pictures, and that one such camera was a solar-powered automated license plate reader mounted on a utility pole in a commercial parking lot in American Fork, Utah, as of September 20. Critics have questioned how Flock data will be used, who can access it and whether it could be misused, the outlet noted, and Langley himself has said Flock Safety could have done more earlier.
Congress Weighs In, With Bipartisan Unease
Schumer's letter follows a Senate hearing where Flock Safety's CEO and the heads of other surveillance firms declined to testify, according to Roll Call, which reported that senators of both parties expressed alarm about AI-powered surveillance cameras and automated license-plate readers at the Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing. CBS News New York reported that Sen. Josh Hawley introduced legislation to establish guardrails for Flock cameras and other AI-powered surveillance technology, with the Stop Flock Abuse Act aiming to regulate automated license plate readers and impose stricter limits on data, security and search functions.
A federal ruling out of Oklahoma added legal weight to the concerns, with The Hill reporting that warrantless searches using AI-powered surveillance camera data, including Flock data, may violate the Fourth Amendment without adequate probable cause. The same outlet noted that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have made moves over the past two months to limit the technology's use, including Florida ending highway-system permits and Texas freezing state funding, per the Monitor's reporting.
Flock's Response and a Growing List of Canceled Contracts
Flock Safety announced tighter controls in August, including reducing its recommended default data-retention window from 30 to seven days and requiring law-enforcement agencies to use its Audit Assistance feature, case codes and other controls meant to flag abnormal search behavior, according to The Hill's reporting. The company's system is designed to flag abnormal search behavior by police, per CBS News New York.
Even so, local governments have been pulling back. The Houston Chronicle reports that two dozen Texas cities and counties have taken steps to remove automated license plate readers or end contracts with Flock Safety, including Bandera's city council, which voted 3-2 in May to terminate its contract and remove existing equipment, and Leander's police department, which stopped using Flock cameras and data as of September 4 after the city discontinued funding. Guadalupe County commissioners unanimously voted in August to terminate their contract, the outlet reported, while Dallas plans to shut down 321 state-funded readers while keeping roughly 300 city-funded cameras running. League City became the first municipality to put the question of Flock camera use on a non-binding ballot, set for November 3, per the same report.
Outside Texas, the Sterling Police Department immediately terminated its Flock contract, citing privacy and public-trust concerns, according to KWQC. Whether Flock Safety will meet Schumer's October 16 deadline, and what the company ultimately discloses about federal access to its database, remains to be seen.
