Flock's pitch to police: Be like Richmond and Oakland
While Richmond's city council was split on extending its Flock contract, the company handbook characterizes the city as embracing the technology.
Richmondside
by Roselyn Romero
Aug. 14, 2026, 10:00 a.m.

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 [community opposition — article continues beyond this excerpt].

Source: https://richmondside.org/2026/08/14/flock-claims-richmond-embraced-technology/