Does Flock Share Data With ICE?

Does Flock Share Data With ICE?

No. Flock Does Not Work With ICE.

No. Flock does not work with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or any other sub-agency of the Department of Homeland Security.

Flock does not partner with ICE. 

ICE does not have direct access to Flock cameras, systems, or data.

Customers Own and Control Their Data

Every piece of data collected by Flock license plate readers is owned and controlled by the customer, whether that customer is a city, county, school district, or private organization.

Customer ownership is foundational to how Flock operates.

Decisions about whether, when, and how data is shared are made by the customer that owns the data, not by Flock. There is no hidden back-door access in Flock technology.

If a local agency chooses not to collaborate with any federal entity, including ICE, Flock has no ability to override that decision.

In practice, this means:

• Flock never shares data on its own
  
  
• All data sharing relationships are explicitly configured and visible to the customer
  
  
• Customers may limit, revoke, or deny data access at any time
  
  

Agencies may share camera access with other police departments on a one-to-one basis, by geographic radius (e.g., 10 miles), statewide, or nationwide. All sharing configurations are controlled by the customer.

Flock Does Not Share Data on Customers’ Behalf and Has No Contract With ICE

Flock does not have a contract with ICE or any sub-agency of the Department of Homeland Security.

Flock does not share customer data on behalf of customers with any entity, federal or otherwise, without their permission, and does not grant access to customer data without a customer’s explicit choice and control.

Whether to collaborate with federal agencies is governed by local law, agency policy, and community values, not by Flock.

Local public safety agencies sometimes collaborate with federal partners on serious crimes such as human trafficking, child exploitation, or multi-jurisdictional violent crime. Decisions about participation in that collaboration are made locally.

Can ICE Access Flock Cameras?

ICE cannot directly access Flock cameras or data.

Any access to Flock by a federal agency, if it occurs at all, must be explicitly granted by a local customer and must comply with applicable law. 

Safeguards That Limit Federal Access

No National or Statewide Lookups for Federal Agencies

Federal agencies are excluded from national and statewide search capabilities. 

State-Level Restrictions Are Enforced

In states such as California and Virginia, the California Attorney General has stated that legislation prohibits federal or out-of-state agencies from accessing publicly funded license plate reader data. Flock assists customers’ compliance with these restrictions directly within the platform.

Federal Organization Designation

Requests originating from federal agencies are clearly labeled in the system. Local officials can see that a requester is federal and decide whether to approve or deny access based on law and policy.

Collaboration between agencies can save lives in cases such as locating victims of human trafficking or identifying child predators. Even so, decisions about collaboration must remain with locally accountable leaders.

Flock’s role is not to encourage or discourage collaboration with any federal entity. Flock’s role is to ensure customers understand what is being requested, and they retain full authority over the decision.

How Does Flock Help Customers Control Their Data?

Customer-Owned Data and Local Control

Because customers own their data, Flock cannot sell it or share it without customer permission, unless required by law. Decisions about access, retention, and collaboration remain with the customer.

Automated Search Filters

Search filters provide an automated layer of protection that prevents searches tied to prohibited use cases, including immigration enforcement or reproductive care, where restricted by law or agency policy. They are automatically applied in states where these use cases are prohibited by law, and are optional for customers who prohibit them per their agency policy. 

• Instant detection: Searches associated with prohibited topics are blocked from hitting the cameras in question
  
  
• Real-time safeguarding: Prohibited queries are not processed, stored, or logged on the cameras where they are blocked
  
  
• Admin-controlled enablement: Filters may be enabled by agency administrators and are automatically applied where required by law
  
  

These filters support compliance without adding administrative burden.

Audit Reports and Transparency

Flock provides audit reports that allow agencies and oversight bodies to review system usage. These reports support accountability and public trust by making usage patterns visible and reviewable.

As laws continue to evolve across states, Flock remains committed to updating safeguards so communities can use license plate readers responsibly and transparently.

Community Impact on Crime

Across the country, communities are demonstrating that technology can play a meaningful role in improving public safety while respecting civil rights and community priorities. 

Cities such as Oakland, California, demonstrate that license plate readers can advance both safety and equity. This outcome has been recognized by the Oakland NAACP.

The organization cited evidence of crime reduction, improved accountability, and reduced discretionary stops by focusing investigations on vehicles linked to crimes rather than individuals.

During Oakland’s pilot deployment, Flock-assisted investigations contributed to dozens of arrests, higher violent crime clearance rates, and progress in homicide and human trafficking cases.

“This approach demonstrates how technology can support safer, fairer outcomes while aligning with the lived realities and priorities of Communities of Color,” said Oakland NAACP President Cynthia Adams.

That same focus on accountability and outcomes extends to protecting the most vulnerable when a child goes missing. Through its partnership with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), Flock helps law enforcement respond faster in moments where time can mean the difference between recovery and tragedy. 

By integrating with NCMEC’s AMBER Alert system, agencies receive real-time notifications when vehicles associated with endangered or abducted children are detected. Flock technology has helped reunite more than 2,000 missing people with their families. 

Flock also works alongside Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) to address impaired driving and hit-and-run crashes, which are two of the most preventable causes of death in the United States. Flock license plate readers help law enforcement accurately and timely identify vehicles involved in serious incidents.  

“We believe that any technology that increases post-crash responsiveness and accountability will help to raise awareness and change behaviors to avoid impaired driving,” said MADD CEO, Stacey D. Stewart.

Learn More

Flock Safety partners with more than 6,000 communities nationwide to help them make informed, transparent decisions about public safety technology, without compromising privacy, local autonomy, or the rule of law.

If you’d like to learn more about how Flock approaches data ownership, sharing controls, and compliance safeguards, we recommend the following resources:

• Privacy & Ethics
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• How Flock’s Search Filters Work
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• Related blog: For Real Communities, Public Safety is Not Hypothetical
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Communities are proving every day that when technology and local governance work hand in hand, it’s possible to enhance safety while respecting the values and laws that protect people’s rights.