Boston drops Flock after outside agencies gained access to vehicle data
Flock
A Flock Safety automated license plate reader camera in Massachusetts on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026. Police agencies nationwide use Flock Safety cameras to passively capture and log information about passing vehicles.
Days after Boston launched its Flock Safety pilot program in April 2025, the surveillance system shared vehicle data in violation of the Boston Police Department’s contract.
The disclosure, first reported by WBUR ahead of the release of the city’s 2025 Surveillance Technology Report to the City Council on Monday, surfaced one day after Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said the city has “abandoned Flock.”
“When the toggles or the access controls … either are not able to be restricted in the ways that conform with that policy, or are set — but then can be unset, or reset, in ways that violate that policy, we would not use that platform,” Wu said, in a conversation Sunday with GBH’s Boston Public Radio.
Wu spoke the day before a report on the city’s surveillance technologies was set to be released to the City Council, according to WBUR.
Required under the city’s Surveillance Oversight Ordinance, the annual report provides an accounting of how Boston agencies use surveillance technologies, including data-sharing practices, costs, effectiveness and privacy safeguards. This serves to inform city officials and the public about how surveillance technologies are being used.
When Flock and the Boston Police Department began its contract for 156 days at no cost to the city from April 1, 2025 to Sept. 4, 2025, the “contract clearly noted that data sharing was to be disabled, and BPD confirmed with Flock that settings were ‘off’ for sharing,” read the 2025 annual report slated to be released Monday, WBUR reported.
However, “within three days of initiating the Pilot, BPD became aware that other law enforcement agencies were able to access license plate and vehicle information,” blaming an “error” by Flock, according to WBUR.
“Upon learning of the vendor error, BPD ensured that the function was immediately disabled and access to the Department’s data was no longer available without submitting a written request to BPD as described above. No further direct access was available for the duration of the Pilot,” the report read.
The report showed that Boston police received 77 requests from outside law enforcement agencies for access to Flock data during the pilot, the outlet reported, while an internal audit found officers conducted 11,004 database searches and failed to include a case number tied to a criminal investigation about half the time.
The report did not make clear which law enforcement agencies had access to the Flock data in Boston or how many drivers in the state were exposed, though “thousands of agencies” have access to the national network, according to the outlet.
Flock’s ALPR technology has faced growing scrutiny in Massachusetts by both police departments and lawmakers in recent months, prompting a wave of police departments to reconsider or end participation in the system.
Local departments in Bellingham, Auburn and Stow, in addition to several other communities, have recently announced plans to terminate, suspend or reevaluate their contracts. The debate has also intensified following claims of misuse by Massachusetts officers.
In Stow, an officer resigned after his department claimed he used Flock cameras and other law enforcement databases to obtain information about a personal acquaintance, for no legitimate law enforcement purpose. The department subsequently removed all of its Flock cameras.
In New Bedford, an officer was placed on administrative leave amid allegations she used the department’s Flock system to track her ex-girlfriend.
The controversy has also drawn attention on Beacon Hill, where lawmakers are weighing new regulations for automatic license plate reader systems, such as statewide guardrails governing how the technology can be used, who can access the data and when information can be shared with outside agencies.
The Boston Police Department and the Office of Mayor Michelle Wu did not immediately respond to MassLive for comment Monday.
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Boston drops Flock after outside agencies gained access to vehicle data
Flock A Flock Safety automated license plate reader camera in Massachusetts on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026. Police agencies nationwide use Flock Safety cameras to passively capture and log information about passing vehicles.
Days after Boston launched its Flock Safety pilot program in April 2025, the surveillance system shared vehicle data in violation of the Boston Police Department’s contract.
The disclosure, first reported by WBUR ahead of the release of the city’s 2025 Surveillance Technology Report to the City Council on Monday, surfaced one day after Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said the city has “abandoned Flock.”
“When the toggles or the access controls … either are not able to be restricted in the ways that conform with that policy, or are set — but then can be unset, or reset, in ways that violate that policy, we would not use that platform,” Wu said, in a conversation Sunday with GBH’s Boston Public Radio.
Wu spoke the day before a report on the city’s surveillance technologies was set to be released to the City Council, according to WBUR.
Required under the city’s Surveillance Oversight Ordinance, the annual report provides an accounting of how Boston agencies use surveillance technologies, including data-sharing practices, costs, effectiveness and privacy safeguards. This serves to inform city officials and the public about how surveillance technologies are being used.
When Flock and the Boston Police Department began its contract for 156 days at no cost to the city from April 1, 2025 to Sept. 4, 2025, the “contract clearly noted that data sharing was to be disabled, and BPD confirmed with Flock that settings were ‘off’ for sharing,” read the 2025 annual report slated to be released Monday, WBUR reported.
However, “within three days of initiating the Pilot, BPD became aware that other law enforcement agencies were able to access license plate and vehicle information,” blaming an “error” by Flock, according to WBUR.
“Upon learning of the vendor error, BPD ensured that the function was immediately disabled and access to the Department’s data was no longer available without submitting a written request to BPD as described above. No further direct access was available for the duration of the Pilot,” the report read.
The report showed that Boston police received 77 requests from outside law enforcement agencies for access to Flock data during the pilot, the outlet reported, while an internal audit found officers conducted 11,004 database searches and failed to include a case number tied to a criminal investigation about half the time.
The report did not make clear which law enforcement agencies had access to the Flock data in Boston or how many drivers in the state were exposed, though “thousands of agencies” have access to the national network, according to the outlet.
Flock’s ALPR technology has faced growing scrutiny in Massachusetts by both police departments and lawmakers in recent months, prompting a wave of police departments to reconsider or end participation in the system.
Local departments in Bellingham, Auburn and Stow, in addition to several other communities, have recently announced plans to terminate, suspend or reevaluate their contracts. The debate has also intensified following claims of misuse by Massachusetts officers.
In Stow, an officer resigned after his department claimed he used Flock cameras and other law enforcement databases to obtain information about a personal acquaintance, for no legitimate law enforcement purpose. The department subsequently removed all of its Flock cameras.
In New Bedford, an officer was placed on administrative leave amid allegations she used the department’s Flock system to track her ex-girlfriend.
The controversy has also drawn attention on Beacon Hill, where lawmakers are weighing new regulations for automatic license plate reader systems, such as statewide guardrails governing how the technology can be used, who can access the data and when information can be shared with outside agencies.
The Boston Police Department and the Office of Mayor Michelle Wu did not immediately respond to MassLive for comment Monday.