Washington, DC - Patrick Yoes, National President of the Fraternal Order of Police, responded today to recent comments from Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langley, who predicted, “You will see over the next six months a dramatic increase in officers being arrested or fired for abusing Flock.”
“The answer is not to broadly characterize the law enforcement profession as something from which the public needs protection,” Yoes said. “Flock built its business promoting its technology as an important tool to help police solve crimes and make communities safer. Now, facing intense public criticism of its technology, its CEO seems increasingly focused on portraying the officers who use it as the problem. So much for building trust.”
The shift is particularly striking given Langley’s own words just months ago. In April, he argued that society already entrusts police officers with enormous responsibilities, including the authority to use force, and questioned why those same officers should not be trusted with license plate reader technology.
Law enforcement has always embraced technology, from NCIC and DNA analysis to body-worn cameras, license plate readers, and now artificial intelligence. Each advancement has transformed our ability to identify offenders, solve crimes, locate missing persons, and protect lives. Each has also brought the responsibility to establish strong policies, safeguards, oversight, and accountability.
“When an officer intentionally misuses technology, it should be addressed,” Yoes said. “But isolated incidents of misuse should not be used to cast aspersions on an entire profession, particularly when Flock itself has acknowledged shortcomings in its own safeguards.”
Langley recently conceded regarding one such safeguard, “We got this one wrong. We should make it a requirement.”
Flock has faced significant public criticism over privacy, data sharing, retention, and the reach of its camera networks. Rather than shifting responsibility onto law enforcement, the company should address legitimate concerns about its products, strengthen safeguards, and better educate communities about how this technology helps solve crimes and protect the public.
“Technology companies serving law enforcement need the trust of the public, but they also need the trust of the officers who depend on their products,” Yoes said. “You cannot sell police a tool to fight crime and then portray those same officers as the problem when public criticism follows.”
The FOP supports responsible innovation and accountability. Both are essential to public safety, and both require law enforcement agencies and technology companies to accept responsibility for their respective roles.
“Flock and law enforcement should be partners in public safety,” Yoes said. “Partnership requires mutual trust and accountability. Flock should focus on strengthening its technology, supporting sound policies, and rebuilding public confidence, not diminishing the profession that helped build its company.”