Flock Safety Helps Boost Oakland’s Violent-Crime Clearance Rate by 11%

Flock Safety, the leading safety technology platform dedicated to creating thriving communities, is pleased to share that Oakland Police Department (OPD) improved violent crime clearance rates by 11% after deploying Flock’s License Plate Reader (LPR) cameras in coordination with the California Highway Patrol (CHP). Flock’s technology was a contributing factor in a significant number of arrests made by OPD over the measured period, according to FBI and Oakland City data.

Public safety concerns in Oakland have weighed on local commerce, with 72% of residents saying safety has affected their spending with neighborhood businesses. Prior to the Flock LPR deployment, from 2022 through 2024, Oakland’s clearance rate trended downward, indicating a slight but concerning decline in the city’s ability to solve crimes. After the Flock LPR deployment in 2024, data shows a substantial, near-instant jump in clearance effectiveness, particularly for violent crimes.

“These results show how modern tools and technology can help hardworking investigators close more cases amid staffing challenges and improve safety in communities,” said Garrett Langley, CEO and Founder of Flock Safety. “Objective vehicle-based evidence shortens the time from crime to identification, which means more accountability for offenders and safer communities for everyone.”

Flock LPRs lead to tangible impact on Oakland public safety:

• Immediate impact: The combined OPD–CHP effort and Flock deployment rapidly increased useful case leads for violent offenses, contributing to a 11% rise in violent-crime clearance rates over the period analyzed.
  
  
• Investigative support at scale: Even during the initial months of LPR use (August 2024-February 2025), Flock assisted OPD in solving 55 cases by arrest. During that period, 3 individuals were arrested for homicide and 4 for murder/manslaughter, showing how Flock technology helps solve serious, violent crimes. In addition, dozens of vehicles and firearms were recovered.

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“Flock Safety’s LPR cameras detect only vehicles tied to a crime, removing the subjective judgment that too often leads to harmful interactions,” said Cynthia Adams, President of the Oakland NAACP. “This is how technology can support safer, fairer policing.”

Methodology

Monthly violent crime offense and clearance data for Oakland, CA, from January 2022 to December 2024 were collected from the FBI’s Crime Data Explorer. The analysis focused on violent crime clearance rates before and after the implementation of Flock LPRs, taking into account the increased law enforcement efforts in the area. It also includes the incremental impacts of Flock LPR cameras, using OPD data where available.