---
title: "Six cities and counties move to cancel Flock Safety camera deals priced $10 under the vote line"
description: "Six cities and counties severed, suspended or moved to defund Flock Safety's license-plate cameras this week, just as a buyout strips about 270 staff from a company valued at $7.5 billion in March. Knox County's sheriff spent more than $250,000 on 143 cameras without a commissioner vote; councils are now voting the network out."
publisher: "The Inference"
section: "Policy & Labor"
published: 2026-10-21T16:35:51.278Z
modified: 2026-10-21T16:35:51.278Z
canonical: https://theinference.org/article/six-cities-and-counties-move-to-cancel-flock-safety-camera-deals-priced-10-under-the-vote-line
language: en
keywords: "Surveillance, Privacy, Local Government, Flock Safety, Public Safety"
---

# Six cities and counties move to cancel Flock Safety camera deals priced $10 under the vote line

> Six cities and counties severed, suspended or moved to defund Flock Safety's license-plate cameras this week, just as a buyout strips about 270 staff from a company valued at $7.5 billion in March. Knox County's sheriff spent more than $250,000 on 143 cameras without a commissioner vote; councils are now voting the network out.

## A dime under the line, 143 cameras later

Knox County, Tennessee's sheriff bought Flock Safety cameras in batches priced at $24,990, exactly $10 under the $25,000 line that triggers mayoral review [1]. Commissioners found 143 cameras and more than $250,000 of spending no elected official had authorized, voided the contract, and when Flock missed the removal deadline, county crews covered the lenses in plastic [1]. Denver ran the same play: the council rejected a $666,000 renewal, and the mayor's office signed a $498,500 extension, $1,500 under the council's $500,000 line [1].

*Chart: **Priced to the penny under the vote threshold** Two bar pairs comparing Flock contract values with the vote thresholds they sat just beneath in Knox County, Tennessee and Denver, Colorado.*

*Signed value against the level that forces elected review. Knox County purchases above $25,000 trigger mayoral review; Denver contracts above $500,000 return to council. The printed gap on each pair is the dollars under the line. Source: Latin Times, October 2026. [1]*

## What the $7.5 billion network scans

[Reuters reported on October 8, 2026, that Flock will cut about 270 people](https://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/article317549128.html), 18 percent of its roughly 1,500 staff, in a buyout whose departures leave at the end of October [2]. The $275 million March round, led by the venture firm Andreessen Horowitz, valued the Atlanta company at $7.5 billion; its roughly 120,000 cameras read plates across 49 states for more than 4,800 law-enforcement agencies [2], about 20 billion scans a month by one tally [1].

## Leaving is harder than signing

Flock owns the cameras it sells: [its contracts state the company retains ownership of the products it sells to cities](https://reason.com/2026/10/13/an-illinois-college-tried-to-cancel-its-flock-contract-flock-refused/) [3]. Elgin Community College in Illinois asked to cancel in October 2025; Flock refused, the school zip-tied garbage bags over six lenses, and workers kept taking the bags down until the contract expired in April [3]. Flock's February 2026 terms dropped the pledge not to sell customer data, added a perpetual license to use and disclose footage after a contract ends, and restricted early exit [1].

## Six cities and counties, one week

Wausau, Wisconsin's public-safety committee [voted to withhold $50,000 payments in its 2027 and 2028 budgets](https://wsau.com/2026/10/19/wausau-committee-votes-to-terminate-flock-safety-payment-instruct-council-to-explore-contract-termination/) while exploring termination [4]. Excelsior Springs, Missouri terminated its contract unanimously, with exit ordered within 30 days [5].

Maries County, Missouri canceled a roughly $13,300 agreement, for cameras that permitting problems never let it install, and [wants more than $13,000 in state grant money back](https://www.abc17news.com/news/maries/2026/10/20/maries-county-requests-more-than-13000-refund-with-flock-safety-following-termination-agreement/); Sheriff Mark Morgan, a self-described "big fan" of the system, acted after a Flock representative skipped a October 15 public meeting and blamed a calendar lapse [6].

Siloam Springs, Arkansas switched its cameras off while its board weighs the contract [7]. Arvada, Colorado's police chief asked to strike roughly $24,000 from the 2027 budget, with the council expected to approve on October 20 [8]. Sterling Heights, Michigan argued more than four hours over 23 cameras costing just over $84,000 a year, renewal due in December, exit at $500 a camera [9].

*Chart: **214 cancellations since 2021, and 93 of them in August alone** Bar chart of cities and counties ending Flock contracts: 214 since 2021, 165 in the first eight months of 2026, and 93 in August 2026 alone.*

*Cities and counties that ended Flock contracts, as counted by Secure Justice, an Oakland, California advocacy group. The periods nest: August sits inside the 2026 figure, and both inside the total since 2021. Source: Ars Technica, August 28, 2026. [10]*

## The company says it is still winning

New city partnerships have outpaced nonrenewals roughly 10 to 1 this year, spokesperson Courtney Terlecki told Ars Technica, which also asked how many new customers Flock signed and got no number [10].

The outside tallies disagree because they are counted separately: Secure Justice, an Oakland-based advocacy group, [puts the exits at 214 cities and counties since 2021](https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/08/cities-terminate-flock-contracts-at-record-pace-in-august/), 165 of them in the first eight months of 2026 and 93 in August alone [10], while the Institute for Justice, a public-interest law firm, counts more than 250, with 39 through May [1].

[A University of South Carolina study of 216 jurisdictions](https://www.joltjournal.com/tech/flock-safety-job-cuts-camera-backlash/) found motor-vehicle thefts down 11 percent where the cameras went in, though critics note Flock has funded some of that research [11].

The money moves sideways. Denver's council voted 7-6 to [replace Flock with a rival's 50-camera system](https://theinference.org/article/axon-trades-at-161-times-earnings-as-it-takes-binghamton-from-flock-texas-s-grant-ban-names-axon-too) [1]. Oakland County, Michigan steered a $2.9 million auto-theft grant to Flock and up to $200,000 for a plate-reader database from [Motorola Solutions](https://theinference.org/markets/companies/motorola-solutions), the police-radio and camera vendor holding $64.7 million in county contracts, after commission chair Dave Woodward [took undisclosed vendor-paid trips before votes involving both companies](https://www.wxyz.com/news/local-news/investigations/oakland-county-officials-flew-to-motorola-dined-with-vendor-before-key-vote) [12].

## What decides it

Sterling Heights rules on its renewal in December [9]. A Virginia lawsuit argues the cameras amount to warrantless surveillance, and a ruling there would outweigh any single council vote [2]. The $7.5 billion valuation rests on new signings outpacing exits, on numbers only Flock can see [10]. For years these cameras went up without a council vote in thousands of communities [1]; [the past week put them on the agenda in six places at once](https://theinference.org/article/flock-stops-billing-texas-police-to-keep-its-cameras-lit-past-the-election).

## Takeaway

Flock Safety's license-plate network grew by pricing just under the thresholds that force council votes; six cities and counties voted or moved to cancel this week, exits have hit a record pace, and a $7.5 billion valuation now rests on new signings continuing to outpace them.

## Sources

1. [Latin Times, "No Council Vote Required: How Flock Safety Cameras End Up in Cities That Never Approved Them," October 2026](https://www.latintimes.com/no-council-vote-required-how-flock-safety-cameras-end-cities-that-never-approved-them-600351)
2. [Reuters (Krystal Hu and Helen Coster), via Miami Herald, "AI surveillance startup Flock Safety to cut several hundred jobs amid backlash, sources say," 8 October 2026](https://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/article317549128.html)
3. [Reason (Joe Lancaster), "An Illinois College Tried To Cancel Its Flock Contract. Flock Refused.," 13 October 2026](https://reason.com/2026/10/13/an-illinois-college-tried-to-cancel-its-flock-contract-flock-refused/)
4. [WSAU, "Wausau Committee Votes to Terminate FLOCK Safety Payment, Instruct Council to Explore Contract Termination," 19 October 2026](https://wsau.com/2026/10/19/wausau-committee-votes-to-terminate-flock-safety-payment-instruct-council-to-explore-contract-termination/)
5. [KSHB, "Excelsior Springs City Council votes unanimously to end the city's contract with Flock Safety," 20 October 2026](https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/excelsior-springs-city-council-votes-unanimously-to-end-the-citys-contract-with-flock-safety)
6. [ABC 17 News (KMIZ, Marie Moyer), "Maries County requests more than $13,000 refund from Flock Safety following termination agreement," 20 October 2026](https://www.abc17news.com/news/maries/2026/10/20/maries-county-requests-more-than-13000-refund-with-flock-safety-following-termination-agreement/)
7. [4029tv (KHBS), "Siloam Springs turns off Flock Safety cameras while board reviews contract," October 2026](https://www.4029tv.com/article/siloam-springs-turns-off-flock-safety-cameras-while-board-reviews-contract/74198618)
8. [Arvada Press (Rylee Dunn), "Arvada Police will not renew contract with Flock Safety," 19 October 2026](https://www.arvadapress.com/news/local-government/article_b0dade22-0149-47c9-91ca-154d01289b1b.html)
9. [ClickOnDetroit (WDIV), "Sterling Heights leaders weigh future of Flock Safety cameras amid privacy concerns," 20 October 2026, updated 21 October 2026](https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/local/2026/10/21/sterling-heights-leaders-weigh-future-of-flock-safety-cameras-amid-privacy-concerns/)
10. [Ars Technica (Cyrus Farivar), "Cities terminate Flock contracts at record pace in August," 28 August 2026](https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/08/cities-terminate-flock-contracts-at-record-pace-in-august/)
11. [Jolt Journal, "Flock Safety Cuts 270 Jobs as Cities Drop Its Cameras. What the Backlash Is About," October 2026](https://www.joltjournal.com/tech/flock-safety-job-cuts-camera-backlash/)
12. [WXYZ 7 Investigators (Heather Catallo), "Oakland County officials flew to Motorola, dined with vendor before key vote," October 2026](https://www.wxyz.com/news/local-news/investigations/oakland-county-officials-flew-to-motorola-dined-with-vendor-before-key-vote)


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Six cities and counties move to cancel Flock Safety camera deals priced $10 under the vote line — The Inference. Canonical: https://theinference.org/article/six-cities-and-counties-move-to-cancel-flock-safety-camera-deals-priced-10-under-the-vote-line