Flock’s Decline Brings New Opportunities for Local Governments

The fallout from Flock’s surveillance technology troubles seems to be benefiting some local entities, although perhaps not in the way you’d expect.

As of July 21st, over 50 local governments in the U.S. have either canceled or denied contracts with Flock for their public safety camera systems.

Interestingly, one of the cities making this switch is opting for Axon, a firm that already plays a role in their public safety frameworks.

It seems there’s a broader shift occurring, as reports indicate 39 contracts were terminated in just the first five months of 2026 alone.

Earlier this month, the Los Angeles Police Department allowed its three-year agreement with Flock to expire. This decision seems to be tied to ongoing concerns regarding data privacy and sharing. LAPD’s Chief Information Officer, Dean Giaramas, mentioned to the Los Angeles Times that they won’t be using Flock until a new agreement is settled.

Smaller cancellations have been noted as well. Monroe County in Indiana decided to terminate its contract, which had been in place for about a year, while Pea Ridge, Arkansas, made a similar choice due to public discontent.

However, this isn’t merely a retreat from surveillance. The same cities are transitioning to Axon, reaffirming its existing contributions to public safety.

In related developments, the Los Angeles Police Department uses Axon for body cameras and has been utilizing basic automatic license plate recognition software long before this shakeup with Flock. Notably, Axon’s own contract with LAPD is also nearing expiration by the end of July.

Austin serves as an example of how this shift unfolds. In 2025, the city canceled its Flock contract but noted it still retained access to ALPR through Axon—a situation that compromises the impact of Flock’s exit.

Meanwhile, Denver dropped Flock back in February, while Douglas County, Colorado, recently decided to switch its arrangement, choosing Axon for an estimated $23 million contract despite having publicly defended Flock earlier on.

Weekly, a sheriff’s spokesperson, remarked to Axios about a “loss of trust” due to Flock’s oversight of privacy concerns.

Syracuse provides a glimpse into the complexities of such transitions. In this city, it took an extensive eight months for Flock to officially vacate. This saga included delays from Flock’s end and continuous use of its cameras by police until inquiries prompted a reassessment.

It wasn’t confirmed until mid-July that the final Flock camera was removed, and as of July 23rd, policies regarding Axon’s equipment still hadn’t been established.

In the background, separate Flock cameras operated by Syracuse University and Destiny USA remain unapproved by either Congress or local voters.

While Axon appears to dominate the market, companies like Motorola Solutions, Rekor, Genetec, and Verkada are also gaining traction. It seems that cities, including Richmond and Saratoga in California, are exploring alternatives to Flock that could meet their needs.

On July 25th, Congressman Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky) announced the introduction of federal budget restrictions aimed at cities employing these cameras. This is the third such bill to emerge recently in the House.

Meanwhile, Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tennessee) has pushed for HR9800, aiming to prevent federal agencies from contracting any form of ALPR or biometric surveillance systems related to widespread monitoring.

Efforts from Flock Safety and Axon for commentary were met with no immediate response.