TULSA EQUITY ALLIANCE

FLOCK SAFETY CAMERAS

The impact and implications Flock Safety Cameras has on community members.

The Issue with Flock Safety Cameras

Who is Flock Safety?

Flock Safety is a company out of Atlanta, Georgia, founded by Garrett Langley in March of 2017, that is a public safety-as-a-service company that builds ethically-designed crime-solving technology. Their products include: various types of “Flock Cameras”, such as license plate readers (LPRs); Raven, Gun-shot audio detector technology; and Falcon Flex, Location-Flexible LPR technology for quick deployment.

Flock Safety's license plate reader (LPR) cameras have been deployed across the Tulsa metro area to enhance law enforcement capabilities. As of early 2025, the Tulsa Police Department (TPD) operates over 230 Flock cameras, primarily in areas identified as high-crime zones. These cameras have contributed to the recovery of nearly $1 million in stolen property and facilitated numerous arrests by alerting officers to vehicles associated with crimes or missing persons.

However, the use of Flock cameras in Oklahoma has raised legal and privacy concerns. State Representative Tom Gann has argued that continuous vehicle scanning by local governments may violate state law, referencing a court case where evidence obtained from such cameras was suppressed. Critics also express concerns about potential violations of the Fourth Amendment and the disproportionate placement of cameras in predominantly Black and Hispanic neighborhoods.

The TPD maintains that Flock cameras are used strictly for public safety purposes, with policies in place to prevent misuse. Data collected is retained for 30 days and is not used for facial recognition or traffic enforcement. Despite these assurances, the debate over the balance between public safety and individual privacy rights continues in Tulsa and across Oklahoma.

"When reporters visited Tulsa’s real-time information center in March, they gave Johnston one of their license plate numbers so he could demonstrate how the system works. Johnston typed the number into his phone and a detailed log of where the car had been over the past month came up in seconds. No warrant was needed.

When the software prompted Johnston to give a reason for the search, he typed in “test.”"

Operating Cost of Flock Safety Cameras

The Tulsa Police Department (TPD) pays over $696,000 annually to Flock Safety for the operation of 237 license plate reader (LPR) cameras across the city. This expenditure covers a subscription-based service that includes installation, maintenance, data hosting, and software updates.

In other Oklahoma jurisdictions, costs vary. For instance, the Round Rock Police Department in Texas pays $75,000 per year for 30 Flock cameras, with an initial $10,500 implementation fee. Similarly, in Osage County, Oklahoma, the Sheriff's Office considered purchasing Flock cameras at a cost ranging between $2,500 and $3,000 per camera.

These figures illustrate that while the per-camera cost can vary based on factors like location and volume, the overall investment for municipalities like Tulsa is substantial, reflecting a significant commitment to this surveillance technology.