Axon's CEO Rick Smith revealed in a now-deleted webinar that police are asking the company to make its automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) look different from Flock cameras due to widespread vandalism of Flock devices. The number of vandalized Flock cameras is not explicitly stated, but authorities have arrested and charged multiple people for destroying them. Axon is considering redesigning its Outpost ALPR camera or making it look more like a streetlight-mounted Lightpost product, which is harder to vandalize. This comes as some towns and cities are switching from Flock to Axon's cameras due to concerns over their use in tracking individuals without warrants.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-03,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
YouTube host Benn Jordan, an outspoken critic of Flock Safety, a surveillance company that provides automated license plate reading cameras to police departments, decided to investigate the company after a string of cases in Georgia involving police misusing Flock products. He downloaded the conference app for Flock's recent convention in Atlanta and found a data breach that revealed the entire guest list, which he alerted Flock about. However, his attempts to attend the convention were thwarted when Flock canceled his tickets and an employee called him to try to intimidate him. Undeterred, Jordan set up radio equipment and a drone outside the convention hall to collect evidence of what was happening inside.
Using this surveillance, Jordan discovered that Flock was claiming that police customers don't need a warrant to track drivers with its cameras because drivers have "no reasonable expectation of privacy" on public roads. He used his findings to create a video titled "Flock values their privacy. Oh well," which highlighted the company's hypocrisy.
The backlash against Flock has been intense, with many police departments canceling contracts and citizens vandalizing the cameras. In response, Axon, another surveillance company, is trying to take advantage of the situation by offering to redesign its own automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) to look different from Flock's, in an effort to avoid similar vandalism.
Flock has been accused of providing surveillance data to law enforcement without a warrant, and of allowing police to use its cameras for personal purposes. The company has also faced criticism for its involvement in the tracking of individuals by ICE and the targeting of women who self-administered abortions.
The controversy surrounding Flock highlights concerns about the potential for state tyranny and the need for stronger legal protections against surveillance technology.
Written for “Flock and Surveillance Controversy” on 2026-09-03,
grounded in this article and the 4 other(s) covering the same event.
Axon says cops are asking it to make its automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) look different from Flock cameras because Flock vandalism has become so widespread, according to comments Axon’s CEO made in a now deleted webinar.
uncertain
CEO → say → webinar
The comments highlight how Axon is trying to take advantage of sustained opposition against Flock's license plate cameras, with one law enforcement customer suggesting a camera redesign would “help with the optics while we batten down the hatches” as the backlash spreads.
asserted
backlash → highlight → hatches
As 404 Media has reported, some towns and cities are switching from Flock to Axon’s cameras after cops did lookups for ICE in Flock, tracked a woman who self-administered an abortion, and have repeatedly abused their access to stalk ex-spouses.
asserted
who → report → spouses
ALPRs constantly scan the license plate, brand, model, and other identifying features of all vehicles that drive past the camera and then make this timestamped log of activity searchable by law enforcement without a warrant.
asserted
log → scan → warrant
In an August 26 webinar that was hosted on Axon’s official Vimeo page called “From backlash to trust,” Axon Chief Customer Officer Mike Wagers took a question from the remote audience and asked, “is there any talk — and there has been talk — to redesign Outpost, our fixed ALPR camera, to not look exactly like a Flock camera?”
asserted
Wagers → host → camera
“We are looking at [...] do we change the general shape,” Rick Smith, Axon’s CEO, replied.
asserted
Smith → look → shape
At another point in the webinar, Smith brought up Axon’s Lightpost product, which is an ALPR and AI-powered camera that attaches to an existing streetlight.
asserted
that → bring → streetlight
“Frankly, we’ve had a lot of customers saying, hey, we’d like something that looks different because there is all this blowback.
asserted
that → have → something
It's harder to vandalize because it's up higher,” he said.
asserted
he → vandalize → ?
Smith also said, “We’ve had some people say they’d like to see us make just a different camera, because our ALPR camera looks like an ALPR camera.”
asserted
camera → say → camera
Another idea Smith brought up, pending customer feedback, is to go in the other direction and make ALPRs more explicit, with signs showing where they are located and a description of the city’s ALPR policies.
asserted
they → bring → policies
MegaraMedia, a YouTuber, downloaded a copy of the webinar before it was removed and shared it with 404 Media.
asserted
it → download → Media
During the webinar, Axon asked its law enforcement customers to chime in with questions and answer a customer survey.
asserted
Axon → ask → survey
404 Media scanned the QR code displayed during the webinar to view those questions.
asserted
Media → scan → questions
One, which appears to be the one Wagers paraphrased, read, “Is there any talk to redesign the Outpost to not look exactly like the Flock camera — I think it will help agencies with the optics while we batten down the hatches…”
asserted
we → appear → hatches
Axon did not respond to a request for comment.
asserted
Axon → respond → comment
Around the country people have destroyed Flock cameras, including tearing them down, backing trucks into them, or spray painting over their lenses.
asserted
people → destroy → lenses
Authorities have arrested and charged multiple people in connection with that vandalism.
asserted
Authorities → arrest → vandalism
In one case, a cop made a fake, 3D-printed Flock camera to essentially act as bait; authorities then charged a man who broke the fake camera with three felonies.
asserted
who → make → felonies
One explicit reason some cities have ditched Flock for Axon is Flock’s national network.
asserted
cities → ditch → Axon
This allows a cop on one side of the country to search cameras not only in their own jurisdiction or state, but in another state entirely.
asserted
cop → allow → state
When reporting on how local cops were performing Flock lookups for ICE, 404 Media found that some police departments did not know or understand their cameras were accessible by other agencies.
asserted
cameras → report → agencies
Smith said of the backlash against Flock and ALPR more generally: “This has been a hell of a storm.”
asserted
This → say → storm
