Building Public Trust Through Transparency: How Flock Helps Communities—and Why You’ll Want to Be Part of It

Watch the full episode of the podcast featuring Josh Thomas, Chief Communications Officer at Flock Safety, alongside podcast hosts Jamie Hudson and Dalton Webb.

Putting People and Policy First

At Flock Safety, we don’t just build public safety technology—we help build safer, thriving communities. In this episode of our podcast, Josh Thomas dives into the foundation of Flock’s approach: people, products, and policy, all working together with a single goal in mind: public trust.

What makes this conversation powerful isn’t just the focus on technology, but the human-centric philosophy behind it. As Josh explains, “People are the most interesting thing… and we build products to help them do their jobs better, more efficiently, faster.” Whether those people are police officers responding to violent crimes or city council members accountable to their constituents, Flock is designing tools with transparency and trust built in from day one.

The Why Behind 30-Day Data Retention

A central theme of the conversation is Flock’s industry-leading 30-day data retention policy. While it may seem counterintuitive for law enforcement agencies that want as much data as possible, the policy is rooted in a deep respect for constitutional rights, especially the Fourth Amendment.

Josh recalls early debates with law enforcement partners: “We had to be thoughtful about the implications of long-term data retention. Thirty days wasn’t based on a perfect formula. It was based on a principled balance between usability and civil liberty.”

This decision wasn’t made lightly. It was born from a commitment to ensuring that technology stays within ethical and legal bounds. Flock recognized that if we were to help communities thrive, we needed to start with trust.

Meeting Communities Where They Are

Trust also requires empathy and education. That’s why Flock built an internal City Council Team dedicated to engaging elected officials across the country. As Josh shares, “We’ve met with over a thousand city councils. We sit through marathon meetings because we believe in transparency and dialogue.”

This proactive approach is designed to demystify the technology, address fears, and reinforce the guardrails that make responsible innovation possible. “The most important thing,” Josh says, “is to not dismiss concerns, but to lean into them and work toward solutions together.”

This philosophy applies not only to LPR (license plate reader technology) but to emerging tools like drones, gunshot detection, and live video technologies. Each one is rigorously evaluated through the lens of local laws, constitutional rights, and public perception.

A Culture Rooted in Purpose

What does all of this mean for people working at Flock?

It means purpose. It means working at a company that doesn’t just ship code or hardware. It builds systems that uphold public trust. Employees at Flock get to say they’re part of an organization that actively defends civil liberties while delivering real results in public safety.

Josh puts it best: “We wrote an internal ethical creed at Flock. That document helps guide every decision we make—from product development to policy recommendations. We’re not trying to supersede local laws. We’re trying to support communities, democratically, and transparently.”

This alignment between product values and community outcomes makes Flock a rare and meaningful place to build a career.

Shared Responsibility for Public Trust

The podcast ends with a clear call to action: everyone, including tech companies, police departments, and public officials, shares the responsibility of earning and keeping public trust.

Flock’s role is to be an ethical partner. That means educating stakeholders, building tools with built-in safeguards, and staying open to questions—even the hard ones.

“We respond to every real journalist,” Josh says. “We want people to know what we’re doing, why we’re doing it, and who we’re serving. And we want to be held accountable.”

That mindset is how thriving, safer communities are built. And it’s why the team at Flock takes pride not just in what we build, but how we build it.

Watch the full episode to hear firsthand how Flock’s policy-driven approach is changing the game for public safety. Plus, what it means for the communities we serve and the people who work here.

Interested in a Career That Matters? If you’re passionate about building technology that strengthens communities and protects civil liberties, Flock might be the place for you. We’re hiring across teams—join us in creating a safer, more transparent future for everyone.