Cities across the country have been dropping their Flock camera contracts left and right as people object to the surveillance state they enable. Canceling these contracts isn't always a straightforward process, however. The Verge reports that Flock is not only delaying the removal of their equipment from communities that have requested it, but also reactivating it when officials take matters into their own hands.
๐ The Core Development
One of these cities is Plymouth, Minnesota, where Joel Feder of The Drive was wrongfully accused of driving a stolen car based on a bad Flock hit. The city council voted to cancel its contract with Flock on September 22, and officially notified Flock the following day. From The Drive :
[Plymouth Police Chief Eric] Fadden said, "We did not hear any reply from Flock Safety Corporate or Legal, other than some communication with our local representative." Flock's silence and refusal to comply with the canceled contract forced the Police Chief to take matters into his own hands. "After hearing nothing for more than a week, I directed our staff to disconnect the power cords from the cameras in order to be sure that they are not functioning or recording plates," Fadden said.
๐ Background & Sector Context
It's rather ironic that the chief of police ended up instructing his officers to do exactly the same thing some vandals have done to disable the cameras. With Flock not responding to multiple attempts to cancel the service, this appeared to be the only way to be sure the cameras were off, as the city council's vote required.
Other cities have taken this process a step further, removing the cameras and storing them until Flock wants them back. From KARE 11 :
๐ Industry & Real-World Impact
"Once we made this decision, I personally went to the locations and removed the cameras and poles myself," Crystal police chief Pete Underthun told KARE 11 in a statement. "We are still working with the company to close out our contract and for them to pick the cameras up from our garage."
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๐ฎ Strategic Outlook & What Lies Ahead
I guess what would otherwise qualify as vandalism is fine if the police do it themselves. Dayton, Minnesota, also physically removed its cameras, but even that didn't shut down the service. As the city explained in a Facebook post :
On September 17, 2026, the Police Department was made aware of a maintenance work order produced by Flock. The City notified Flock on September 18, 2026, that the program was on hold, and no work orders were to be completed. Unfortunately, the City's direction was not followed, and the camera was placed back into service without authorization. Following the report, City staff reviewed locations throughout the community to determine whether any additional cameras had been reinstalled, and one additional location was identified. The Police Department has been notified, and both cameras will be removed promptly.
