When Josh Thomas, now Chief Communications Officer at Flock Safety, agreed to a casual breakfast with the company’s co-founder Paige Todd, he thought he was just giving some friendly marketing advice. Halfway through, he realized he was being interviewed for a job. And he said yes.

Why? Because he saw something rare: the chance to work on one of society’s hardest—and most important—problems.

Joining the Fight Against Crime (By Accident… Almost)

“I didn’t want to be the kind of person who just sat on the sidelines of hard problems,” Josh said. “I wanted to get in the game.”

Despite having no background in law enforcement, Josh saw crime as one of the defining challenges of our time. He joined Flock with a vision: to help create a world where safety is not a privilege but a right—accessible to every community.

What began as a company helping neighborhoods tackle nonviolent crime quickly evolved. Flock realized that stopping crime at scale meant more than neighborhood watch—it required working hand-in-hand with law enforcement, city officials, and the people those institutions serve.

Listening First, Then Building

From the outset, Flock’s model has centered on collaboration. That includes listening—to concerns from citizens, input from police departments, and the priorities of city councils. And it’s that listening that’s shaped everything from product design to policy.

For example, Flock’s default 30-day data retention policy wasn’t just a legal checkbox—it was a deliberate decision to balance public safety with civil liberties. As Josh noted, “The goal was never to collect data indefinitely. The goal was to solve crime responsibly.”

Today, that ethos shows up in everything from transparency portals to city council hearings, where Flock’s team regularly spends hours engaging in public discourse to explain how the technology works—and more importantly, how it doesn’t.

Policy That Reflects People

Holly Beilin, Flock’s Director of Communications, explains that the company has built a diverse internal team—people with and without law enforcement experience, from both sides of the political aisle, and from all walks of life. That diversity helps Flock maintain a grounded, people-first perspective when shaping policy recommendations and building technology.

“We created an ethical creed,” Holly said, “that’s a decision-making framework to make sure our tech reflects democratic values—not just what we can do, but what we should do.”

This creed ensures that local governments retain control. Flock provides the tools; communities decide how they’re used. Whether it’s Oakland or Dearborn, Prosper or Richmond, Flock adapts to the unique values of each place.

From Solving Crime to Enabling Growth

While public safety is Flock’s primary mission, Josh sees a bigger picture: creating the conditions for communities to thrive.

Take the story of a one-year-old abducted in Georgia. Law enforcement used Flock tools and their own investigative skills to bring the child home safely within six hours. That’s one life forever changed—and it’s just the beginning.

Or consider cities like Emeryville, CA, which saw a 20% drop in crime, helping small businesses reopen and local confidence return. “Public safety is a prerequisite for a thriving community,” Josh said. “Without it, you can’t have good schools, strong economies, or opportunity.”

The Future of Flock: Safer Roads, Stronger Communities

Today, Flock is expanding beyond crime prevention. Traffic safety and analytics are becoming the next frontier. With 40,000+ roadway fatalities each year in the U.S., the need for smarter, safer traffic systems is urgent.

“Both my dad and I have been hit by cars on bikes,” Holly said. “Feeling safe on the road matters just as much as feeling safe in your neighborhood.”

Looking ahead, Flock envisions a future where data, policy, and product work in harmony to help communities grow—not just through crime prevention, but through meaningful revitalization. That means thriving coffee shops, walkable neighborhoods, and yes—even parking garages that don’t feel unsafe after dark.

What’s the Best That Could Happen?

Josh ended the conversation with a powerful vision: a world where people wake up and think not “what’s the worst that could happen?” but “what’s the best?”

A world where safety is so ingrained in our daily lives that it fades into the background—freeing us to dream bigger, live fuller, and build stronger communities.

That’s the future.

📌 Want to learn more about how Flock Safety is building thriving communities?
Watch the full video conversation with Josh Thomas and Holly Beilin.