Garrett Langley, CEO and co-founder of Flock Safety, speaks during a ribbon cutting for the Seaport District headquarters on July 22, 2025. Police Chief Daniel Comeaux said Langley is coming to Dallas next week for a meeting to discuss safeguards.
Danielle Parhizkaran/Boston Globe via Getty Images
Police officials plan to meet with Flock Safety’s chief executive in Dallas next week to discuss the company’s surveillance technology amid national scrutiny over misuse and privacy concerns.
“I want them to explain what they’re going to do to protect us and their brand,” Police Chief Daniel Comeaux said in an interview Tuesday. “I do understand the concerns of Flock, but it’s so positive for the department.”
Dallas police requested the in-person meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, in part to urge the Atlanta-based company to adopt safeguards for police departments that lack policies governing the technology’s use and guarding against abuse. Flock CEO Garrett Langley is expected to attend.
Article continues below this ad
The meeting comes after Gov. Greg Abbott cited concerns about misuse in his order last month to pause state funding for Flock and similar license plate readers, affecting Dallas police and other Texas agencies.
The technology has drawn scrutiny from both Republicans and Democrats, but law enforcement officials call it a valuable investigative tool.
Comeaux and other department officials have praised Flock, saying the technology has played a critical role in investigations. He has acknowledged concerns about misuse outside Dallas but says those can’t overshadow the impact.
“The reward outweighs the risks,” Comeaux said. “And the risk is going to be lower for a major police department like us by holding Flock accountable for other departments that they serve.”
Due to Abbott’s order, the department notified Flock in a Sept. 15 letter that it needs to cancel service of more than 300 cameras, starting a contractually required 10-day notice period.
Article continues below this ad
State funds supported almost half of the department’s network of nearly 700 cameras, officials said.
A Flock Safety automated license plate reader stands in the 200 block of North Good Latimer Expressway near downtown Dallas on Feb. 18, 2026. The AI-assisted cameras capture and analyze images of passing vehicles and their license plates.
Tom Fox/Dallas Morning News
In May 2025, the City Council approved a three-year, $5.7 million contract with Flock. Nearly $1.7 million was tied to a grant from the Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority, a state agency that funds efforts to combat vehicle theft and related crimes.
Flock officials called the Dallas Police Department “an important partner.”
“We’re proud of the impact our technology has had in helping Dallas PD solve crimes, locate missing people and keep the community safe,” spokesperson Paris Lewbel said.
Article continues below this ad
Langley, a Georgia Tech-trained electrical engineer, co-founded Flock in 2017 after break-ins in his Atlanta neighborhood prompted him to pursue a less expensive license plate camera system. The Flock CEO had been scheduled to meet with Comeaux on Sept. 15 in Dallas, but police officials canceled the meeting after an off-duty officer died that morning.
In response to growing scrutiny, Flock is planning to require the use of a company-built audit tool designed to flag suspicious searches by officers. The company also plans to require a case number for each search by the end of year.
In 2025, nearly 5,000 outside agencies nationwide conducted more than 10.3 million searches that queried Dallas’ camera network, according to a Dallas Morning News analysis of platform-generated audit logs.
Earlier this month, Dallas police announced the department had narrowed access to the network to 202 agencies, all in Texas. Officials added that federal authorities no longer have direct access to search the Dallas network.
Article continues below this ad
Dallas police have not caught any officers misusing Flock, officials have said, in what they credit to the department’s internal policies.
Jacob Quinn Sanders contributed data reporting to this story.