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Flock Rolls Out Voluntary Buyouts to ~1,500 Staff as US Cities Drop ALPR Contracts

By Alexis Dufresne Published September 19, 2026 at 13:56 UTC

Surveillance Jobs ai-business

Summary

Flock has opened a voluntary severance program to its roughly 1,500 employees, with applications running through October 2, according to an internal email reported by Wired. Sources tell the outlet a significant portion of staff may take the offer as dozens of US cities cancel their license plate reader contracts amid privacy backlash against Flock's AI-powered surveillance network.

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Mar Hicks @histoftech.bsky.social amplified

Andrew Couts @couts.bsky.social

NEW: Flock is offering employees "generous" buyouts as communities across the US push back against the surveillance camera network, @wired.com has learned. @peard33.bsky.social and @dmehro.bsky.social with the scoop: www…
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Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app amplified

@fightforthefuture.org

Apparently things are so bad for Flock with contracts getting cancelled that the company has put together a voluntary severance program for its employees. Giddy thinking about detrimental Flock headlines when we get ma…
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Katie Drummond @katie-drummond.bsky.social amplified

@brbarrett.bsky.social

As Flock continues to lose contracts nationwide, it offered buyout packages to employees Friday. A scoop from @peard33.bsky.social and @dmehro.bsky.social www.wired.com/story/flock-...
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Andrew Couts @couts.bsky.social: NEW: Flock is offering employees "generous" buyouts as communities across the US push back against the surveillance camera network, @wired.c… →
Dhruv Mehrotra @dmehro.bsky.social: NEW: Cities are canceling Flock contracts, cameras are being vandalized, and cops keep getting caught using the system to track people they … →

Originally reported by wired.com

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Original headline: Flock Rolls Out Voluntary Buyouts to ~1,500 Staff as US Cities Drop ALPR Contracts