Engadget reported that Flock Safety is planning to lay off 18% of its workforce, about 270 employees. The cuts are expected to take effect at the end of October, according to sources close to the decision who spoke with Reuters.
Why is Flock Safety cutting jobs?
Engadget links the layoffs to a backlash against the company's cameras. Three weeks before the reported cuts, WIRED reported that Flock had started a buyout program with severance packages. Engadget does not say how many of the affected employees are leaving under that program rather than being laid off.
Flock employs about 1,500 people, according to Engadget. Engadget lists several recent setbacks:
- Florida has banned Flock from Florida highways.
- Texas cut the company off from state funding.
- The Los Angeles Police Department declined to renew its Flock contract.
Engadget also says vigilantes have dismantled or stolen Flock cameras, and that commenters have supported them on social media.
What changes for drivers?
Engadget does not say whether the cuts will affect any city's cameras or how they are run. A layoff at the company does not take a camera down. Each one stays where it is unless the city, county or agency that runs it ends or changes its contract.
You can check where cameras are on the camera map, and how plate readers work explains what these cameras record.
When do the layoffs take effect?
Engadget reports that the cuts are expected to take effect at the end of October. Engadget does not say whether Flock has confirmed the layoffs, and its story does not include a statement from the company.