NewsCord reported that Flock Safety founder and CEO Garrett Langley defended the company's surveillance technology on a panel at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 in San Francisco on Wednesday, Oct. 14. Langley argued that people would have to give up some privacy to live in a safer society.
The aggregated story draws on TechCrunch, Cadena 3 and Identidad Latina. Each outlet covered a different part of the same news, so the details below come from those reports as NewsCord passed them along.
What did Langley say?
Langley said, “we shouldn’t pause progress,” while responding to criticism of Flock’s license plate cameras. He framed the debate as a trade-off.
- Event: TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, San Francisco, Wednesday, Oct. 14
- Main argument: a higher chance of being held accountable for crimes
- Comparison: he likened the technology debate to driverless cars
Cadena 3 reported that Langley cited a client that ended its contract because it believed Flock devices performed facial recognition. The source says the company does not offer that function. Langley also said the cancellations were a price worth paying.
Why are cities dropping Flock?
The source says criticism of Flock has led to cancelled contracts and layoffs. It does not say how many cities have cancelled or how many jobs were cut, so those numbers are unknown from this report.
What happened in South Windsor?
South Windsor, Connecticut ordered its Flock Safety cameras removed. The Town Council approved a resolution requiring police to suspend use right away and finish removal within a maximum of 60 days.
Identidad Latina reported that the system was installed in April 2025 without a prior public announcement. The source does not say when the council vote happened, so the exact removal deadline is unknown.
What changes for drivers?
According to the reporting, South Windsor's cameras are the ones ordered removed. Cameras run by neighboring towns, the county, the state, businesses or HOAs are not covered by that order and stay where they are. The reporting does not say that any plate will stop being scanned, recorded or tracked anywhere else.
To see where plate readers are mapped near you, check the camera map. For background on how these systems work, read how plate readers work.
What can residents ask their own police?
Ask whether your local agency uses Flock or another plate reader vendor, who can search the data, and how long it is kept. Published transparency records are listed on the agencies page.
South Windsor's removal clock runs for up to 60 days from the council's resolution. The source does not say whether the cameras are already off.