In a national training for law enforcement agencies to show police how they can better persuade city leaders to adopt surveillance technologies, Flock Safety cited two East Bay cities — Richmond and Oakland — as successful case studies, according to leaked documents obtained by 404 Media.
The Atlanta-based police technology vendor, known for its controversial national network of automated license plate reader cameras, held the webinar in May for law enforcement officials considering deploying Flock in their jurisdictions. The training, according to the event description, would equip agencies with “clear ways to reframe common concerns and respond to misinformation.”
After years of growth, Flock is facing increasing skepticism and opposition in many communities over concerns about the mass surveillance network the company operates.
Flock’s cameras, deployed in every state except Alaska, capture vehicle license plates and other data, tracking the movements of millions of Americans. Police in multiple states have been investigated for using Flock cameras to illegally stalk people. The cameras have also been used by police in states that ban abortion to track people seeking reproductive healthcare. And federal immigration agents have gotten access to Flock’s data, stoking concerns among immigrant rights advocates.
Some communities, including El Cerrito, have rejected Flock and taken down its cameras. In Richmond last year, the city took the cameras offline for several months after discovering a loophole that made its data vulnerable to outside agencies.
Richmondside’s sister publication, The Oaklandside, registered for Flock’s May webinar to see how the venture capital-backed private company communicates with law enforcement officials, but was denied access.
In an interview with The Oaklandside after the training, Trevor Chandler, a spokesperson for Flock, said the event was intended for public safety agencies and that no new or secret information was shared.
Flock declined to provide a comment for this story.
Flock advises police to ‘own the narrative’ in advocating for technology
A PDF of the guide distributed to webinar attendees, reported by 404 Media earlier this month, shows how Flock encourages police to “own the narrative before someone else does.” This is accomplished by reframing concerns about mass surveillance to shared community priorities about governance and public safety.
“Don’t avoid the concept of mass surveillance because you’re not going to convince opponents that it’s not,” Flock explains in the handbook, quoting Jamie Hudson, a Flock strategist and consultant.
The guide goes on to describe how Oakland city leaders adopted Flock ALPR devices, despite widespread opposition from residents and the city’s Privacy Advisory Commission, by focusing on oversight and transparency. Rather than addressing the community’s concerns about privacy rights and civil liberties, the Oakland Police Department explained its use policy, live audit logs, independent compliance reviews, and other accountability measures.
“The conversation shifted when officials stopped asking the public to trust the technology and started showing how the technology could be audited, reviewed, and held accountable,” the company says in the guide. “Trust moved from assumption to evidence.”
The company also cites an unnamed “former skeptic” in Oakland who changed their mind on Flock after reviewing its accountability tools and privacy safeguards.
In December, following a long and heated meeting, the Oakland City Council voted 7–1 to approve a $2.25 million contract with Flock for 293 license plate reader cameras. District 3 Council member Carroll Fife was the sole opposing vote.
An unnamed spokesperson for OPD told The Oaklandside the department did not attend Flock’s webinar.
Flock also mentions Richmond as an example of a city in which a focus on accountability and results led city officials to embrace the technology though the vote seems to indicate otherwise.
In March, the Richmond City Council voted 4-3 in favor of turning the city’s Flock cameras back on following a heated public debate, extending its contract through the end of this year. But the new $2 million contract came with strings attached — the company has to pay the city a fine of $290,000 if there is an unauthorized breach of its license plate data.
In late 2025, the Richmond Police Department shut off its Flock ALPR cameras after the chief discovered a back-end “national lookup” tool that allowed outside agencies to access Richmond’s database, potentially violating city sanctuary laws. Then, in March, Richmond police leaders presented more than two years’ worth of local results they linked to Flock, including 274 arrests and 259 stolen cars recovered.
“The deciding factor was not a new technology feature,” Flock’s guide read. “It was a clear connection between governance, accountability, and measurable public safety outcomes.”
However, the dissenting voices on the council weren’t so convinced that Flock was accountable.
Council member Sue Wilson pushed back on Police Chief Timothy Simmons presentation about crime stats, suggesting he was “cherry-picking” data to make a point and suggesting that the city needs to do a statistical analysis to see how the Flock cameras directly impact crime.
Another council member made her opinion clear.
“I find it offensive that Flock allowed that national search feature to be deployed and did not inform us that that was happening knowing that we are a sanctuary city and knowing that was a big deal,” said then Vice Mayor Doria Robinson. “You have to understand when you know your system you should have pointed that out and made it clear. To me, it was disingenuous and makes you a company that is not trustworthy.”
Richmondside reporter Joel Umanzor contributed to this report.
