Surprise, Arizona Cancels Flock License Plate Camera Contract Amid Misuse Investigations

Coverage spread: 3 sources — 3 unrated

Lean ratings via AllSides / Media Bias-Fact-Check. How this works.

Where they agree

Surprise, Arizona canceled its Flock Safety contract and requested removal of all equipment after sending notice on Aug. 13.
The cancellation followed discovery of a potential misuse case involving a Surprise police officer, who was placed on administrative leave.
Surprise is one of several Valley cities (with Chandler, Goodyear, Apache Junction and Tempe) recently reporting concerns or taking action over Flock camera misuse.
Flock CEO Garrett Langley told Vanity Fair his technology could have solved the Nancy Guthrie disappearance case.

Where they differ

AZFamily’s Guthrie-focused story centers on Langley’s claims and includes Pima County Sheriff’s Department’s response that it doesn’t own Flock cameras itself; its Surprise story ties the cancellation directly to Langley’s comments as context.
ABC15 gives the fullest rundown of the four Valley cities involved in misuse reports, including specific detail on the Apache Junction officer’s resignation and Tempe’s new transparency portal.
12 News offers only a brief, bare-facts note on the Surprise cancellation without broader context on the statewide misuse pattern or the Guthrie case.
ABC15 includes a direct quote from Surprise Police Chief Evan Becher on wanting stronger safeguards, a detail absent from the other outlets’ coverage.

The City of Surprise, Arizona, has canceled its contract with Flock Safety and demanded removal of all its license plate reader cameras, after an audit flagged a possible misuse case involving a police officer who was placed on administrative leave. The move, notice of which was sent to Flock on Aug. 13, makes Surprise the fourth Phoenix-area city in less than a week to report or act on suspected misuse of the AI-powered camera system.

What triggered Surprise’s decision?

Surprise had used Flock’s automated license plate readers (ALPR) for more than two years, crediting the system with helping solve homicides, robberies and carjackings. On Aug. 12, the city opened an investigation into a potential violation of the system by an officer, who was placed on leave pending the outcome. The city suspended camera use after an audit turned up what officials called an “anomaly,” then formally canceled the Flock contract the next day and asked that all related equipment be pulled out. Surprise Police Chief Evan Becher said the department wants “strong safeguards” that both alert to and prevent misuse before bringing the cameras back, saying enhanced protections need to be in place before ALPR use resumes.

How widespread is the misuse problem in the Phoenix area?

Surprise is the fourth Valley city to report suspected Flock misuse in roughly a week, according to ABC15. Chandler recently ended its use of Flock readers after an audit found unexplained system activity. Goodyear Police are investigating a possible officer misuse case. An Apache Junction officer resigned before he could be fired after an internal probe found he used the technology to locate a family member. Tempe, meanwhile, didn’t report a specific misuse case but cut off automatic data sharing from its Flock cameras and launched a public transparency portal after residents raised privacy concerns tied to the broader wave of misuse reports elsewhere. Statewide, about 60 police departments in Arizona currently use Flock cameras, and several agencies have suspended use this month after finding officer misuse.

What does this have to do with the Nancy Guthrie case?

The controversy has become entangled with the unsolved disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie, who was last seen at her Catalina Foothills home on Jan. 31 and reported missing the next day. Investigators believe she was kidnapped or taken against her will, and the case remains open more than six months later, with tens of thousands of tips still being worked and DNA evidence under analysis. In a Vanity Fair interview published Aug. 15, Flock Founder and CEO Garrett Langley said his company’s technology “would have solved” the Guthrie case, saying “there’s no doubt in my mind.” The Pima County Sheriff’s Department, which is leading the Guthrie investigation, told Arizona’s Family it doesn’t own or operate Flock cameras itself but can access similar technology through other agencies, adding that investigators “continue to utilize available technology and investigative resources” to find her. A $1 million reward from the Guthrie family and a $100,000 FBI reward remain in place for information leading to her recovery.

Why does Flock’s own audit tool matter here?

Flock Safety says the recent spike in discovered misuse cases nationwide is a direct result of its own AI audit tool, rolled out in April, which is designed to flag improper searches. That framing casts the wave of Arizona cases less as new misconduct and more as long-standing misuse finally being caught. Critics and city officials, however, are using the same findings to justify pulling back or pausing use of the technology until stronger safeguards exist, creating tension between the company’s pitch — that its cameras are a powerful crime-solving tool, potentially even for cases like Guthrie’s — and local governments’ growing wariness about how officers have been using that power.

What happens next?

Surprise says it will evaluate additional safeguards before considering reinstating ALPR use, and the officer investigation there is ongoing, as are similar reviews in Goodyear and other cities. No timeline has been given for when, or if, Flock cameras will return to the departments that have suspended or ended their contracts. The Guthrie investigation also continues without resolution, with authorities still processing tips and forensic evidence.

Sources

Featured photo: Julian Focareta via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)