How Scottsdale is rethinking its Flock contract
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Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
As cities across the Valley cancel or rethink their contracts with Flock over privacy concerns and suspected police misuse, Scottsdale is figuring out how to move forward on this hot-button issue.
Why it matters: Scottsdale says its own audits have found no misuse of the Flock system, which allows police agencies to track the location of almost any car, but the scrutiny elsewhere is testing whether the city's existing safeguards are enough to maintain public trust.
The latest: A nine-page internal memo — sent by city manager Greg Caton to the City Council on Thursday and obtained by Axios — outlines several ways the city can bolster accountability and oversight over Flock's Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) program.
- The city plans an independent audit examining user permissions, data retention, vendor access and other controls.
- The memo proposes an ordinance that could impose criminal penalties for "intentional misuse."
- Scottsdale also says it would consider another ALPR vendor offering "improved data protection and local control."
Yes, but: Scottsdale says its existing safeguards — including quarterly audits, individual user credentials, documented law enforcement purposes and restrictions on personal use — distinguish its system from those of agencies where misuse has been flagged.
- Caton wrote in the memo that Flock has contributed to more than 200 felony arrests and the recovery of hundreds of vehicles worth more than $2 million.
What they're saying: Some members have called for the removal of the cameras.
- Councilmember Solange Whitehead, who often disagrees with the council's conservative majority, tells Axios the issue is uniting the council.
- "We have to end immediately the Flock contract and get rid of the cameras because they violated residents' trust," she says.
Councilmember Barry Graham, a conservative who is in the November runoff, said last month that he is concerned about the potential abuse of this technology.
- "It's an emerging issue, and right now we are talking to city staff about it because I think residents' right to privacy outweighs the benefits of constant and intrusive surveillance."
Scottsdale Vice Mayor Maryann McAllen, who supports Flock cameras, told the Scottsdale Independent last month that the city should explain how Flock is used locally before deciding what comes next.
The big picture: Flock has more than 120,000 cameras across the country, the company tells Axios.
- Advocates say the cameras help quickly track down criminals, making cities safer.
- Opponents say they're a form of constant surveillance that infringes on residents' civil liberties. Some have even turned to sabotaging the cameras.
The other side: Flock tells Axios that it improved its privacy, security and accountability features.
- The company says via email that the changes "come following a year of listening to customers, communities, and civil liberties groups and build on Flock's impact" in aiding about 1 million police investigations last year and helping find about 10,000 missing people.
Zoom in: Scottsdale installed the Flock system in 2023, with 85 cameras currently operational.
- The contract expires in June 2028.
What we're watching: The independent audit's findings and whether Flock remains the city's long-term ALPR vendor.