Flock Safety

Flock Safety operates an AI camera network built on automated license-plate recognition (ALPR) plus a shared law-enforcement search network. Its cameras read plates and vehicle attributes and cross-reference hot lists, letting agencies search for a vehicle across many jurisdictions. Founded in 2017 out of Y Combinator, the company is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

Flock has expanded well beyond plate reading — adding gunshot detection (Raven), a data-intelligence layer called Nova (launched February 2026), and a drone-as-first-responder capability through its 2025 acquisition of Aerodome. It operates in more than 5,000 communities across 49 states and reports roughly 20 billion vehicle scans per month, with an eye toward an eventual public offering.

Flock is also at the center of a 2025 to 2026 national surveillance backlash. Dozens of city councils have re-examined or cancelled contracts over mass warrantless location tracking, a cross-jurisdiction data-sharing network (including reports of searches for immigration and abortion-related purposes), ALPR misreads causing wrongful stops, and weak public audit and consent mechanisms.