Flock: Who is Your Shepherd?
With a name that implies safety in numbers, the addition of a Raven had me asking questions. It came with a quick announcement. April 17th a small article on local news stations “informed” the public that Roanoke City Police were petitioning to expand their Flock[1]. Now they wanted Raven, and they had the perfect excuse. A grant that conveniently could only be used to fund Raven!
Is that true? And what is Raven? Whose Flock am I part of?
Flock Safety is the company, and with or without your knowledge, they’re your shepherd now. With 27 cameras located in the Roanoke area and reassurances from law enforcement that it’s only used for reading license plates – what could go wrong? We’ve all seen just recently how the use of these cameras helped Roanoke City Police find a missing man with dementia[2]. Something that can keep people safe can only be good
However, we all know there is no such thing as something that is entirely good. Here's the catch. Flock just read s licenses plates in the same way that your phone just sends text message. It looks at more than license plates.
Just this month in Dunwoody, Georgia Flock employees logged into camera feeds for non-police purposes. Most notably livestreams from a daycare, a pool, and a gymnastics room at the Marcus Jewish Community Center[3]. What crimes could they have been looking for there?
Along with someone being able to access these livestreams, Flock is extremely insecure. Researcher Benn Jordan was able to show that over 60 Flock cameras were livestreaming to the open internet with no authentication. Anyone could watch footage or delete footage in under 30 seconds if they had access to the physical device[4, 5]. It takes more work for me to log into my work email.
This is an invasion of privacy that crosses state lines. In 2025, a Texas sheriff ran a nationwide database search. “Had an abortion, search for female”. He pulled data from states where abortion is legal[6].
There have even been cases of unauthorized federal use of Flock data when Customs and Border Protection accessed Flock data from ten different Washington state police departments. None of which had consented to the exchange. Flock called it an undisclosed “pilot program”[7].
Last June, Virginia’s General Assembly passed a law specifically blocking federal agencies from forming new shared relationships with Virginia Flock networks[8]. Of special import is the word choice “new”.
Roanoke City just volunteered to add 75 microphones to their national network. They’re covered by a grant. The price is your privacy.
The Roanoke Police Department’s sales pitch was impressive. We’ve got a $57,000 federal grant! These devices will be completely free! The catch is the money can only be used for devices that assist with gunshot detection. What a coincidence! Flock has Raven! Raven can only detect the sound of gunshots!
So why isn’t that what the city’s staff reports? They tell a story about “trigger events”. Raven can listen for gunshots, screeching tires, car crashes, fireworks, “repetitive distress cries for help”, and “other disruptive community events”. That’s rather vague.
In October 2025, Flock’s own website stated that Raven detects “screaming”. Flock CEO Garrett Langley has also stated that Raven is designed to be trained on new sounds over time. These sounds could include glass breaking, power saws… the possibilities are endless. Whatever Flock wants to listen for. Conveniently you don’t even have to ask Flock to let your Raven learn all these new tricks. It gets pushed to every deployed device as over-the-air software updates. From Atlanta, straight to Roanoke, and the City Council won’t have a say on that. Neither with the Roanoke City Police Department[9].
We can’t just expect the Roanoke Police Department to throw away free money. The grant was so specific. The grant in question being the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant. Roanoke receives this grant from the Bureau of Justice assistance. Based on the population of our little city and the rate of violent crime we see in our area we’re allotted these funds to address that. In fact, Roanoke PD used this same grant in 2019 to hire a RESET Coordinator. A person whose sole job is to show up and support families who are impacted by homicides.
There’s the part they’re hoping you don’t look into. The twenty eligible uses for the money. The fact this grant can be used for “prevention and education”, “drug treatment and enforcement programs”, and “mental health programs and related law enforcement and corrections programs, including behavioral programs and crisis intervention teams”[10]. “The fact that federal rules explicitly allow grantees to file a Grant Award Modification[11]. The fact that we could still be led in a different direction if we decide to advocate for ourselves.
Privacy aside, after this two year free trial Roanoke is looking at a $80,000 bill a year[12]. A hefty subscription fee considering the cuts we’re already taking in areas where our community is lacking. Education, lack of community supports, lack of support for the homeless. Take your pick.
On April 16th the Roanoke PD held a community meeting. At the meeting, they were asked if they intended to expand Flock in our area. They said no. On April 21st the community is informed, a word I use loosely here, about the Roanoke City Council having a hearing about Raven the following Monday at 2 PM. A time that the people most heavily impacted by this decision are unable to attend.
The Council listened to programmers and concerned citizens. The few who had heard about it and taken off of work or cancelled their plans to go and share their concerns. The Council themselves still had questions regarding the 2 year contract, and yet it was moved to a vote in the same session it was introduced. Only two Council members voted no. Those members being Hagan and McGuire.
The permits have been approved, but it’s not too late. The encroachment permit hasn’t been executed yet. No poles have been altered. You don’t have to be a sheep ushered into a Flock that you didn’t even know existed.
Now that you have the facts that were hidden from you in this speedy rush towards adding listening devices into our community... What do you think? Should the grant be used for Raven or would it be better spent on community resources like drug treatment or mental health programs? Do you trust your privacy will be respected? Is it worth the trade off?
If you think it’s not there’s really only one thing you can do. Email the City Council. Tell them to reconsider item 7C. Put it back on the agenda for reconsideration before the installation begins. This time, make sure they actually take the time to hear from the constituents. Make sure they hear from the community they’re meant to serve.
Roanoke City Council contact information:
Mayor Joseph L. Cobb, joseph.cobb@roanokeva.gov
Vice Mayor Terry McGuire, terry.mcguire@roanokeva.gov
Councilmember Nick Hagen, nick.hagen@roanokeva.gov
Councilmember Phazhon Nash, phazon.nash@roanokeva.gov
Councilmember Peter Volosin, peter.volosin@roanokeva.gov
Counsilmember Beverly T. Fitzpatrick, Jr., beverly.fitzpatrick@roanokeva.gov
Councilmember Stephanie Moon Reynolds, stephanie.moon.reynolds@roanokeva.gov
The price for peace of mind is our privacy. Are we willing to pay?
Citations
[1] City of Roanoke to decide on gunshot detection devices at Monday's City Council meeting (WSLS 10 News) https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2026/04/17/city-of-roanoke-to-decide-on-gunshot-detection-devices-at-mondays-city-council-meeting/
[2] Eldery man missing in Roanoke located using license plate reader technology (WSET) https://wset.com/news/local/elderly-man-missing-in-roanoke-located-using-license-plate-reader-technology-april-2026-flock
[3] Dunwoody renews Flock Safety contract despite security and privacy concerns (Axios Atlanta) https://www.axios.com/local/atlanta/2026/04/17/dunwoody-flock-license-plate-reader-agreement
[4] How Benn Jordan Discovered Flock's Cameras Were Left Streaming to the Internet https://www.404media.co/how-benn-jordan-discovered-flocks-cameras-were-left-streaming-to-the-internet/
[5] We Hacked Flock Safety Cameras in under 30 Seconds (Benn Jordan on YouTube) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uB0gr7Fh6lY
[6] EFF's Investigations Expose Flock Safety's Surveillance Abuses: 2025 in Review https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/12/effs-investigations-expose-flock-safetys-surveillance-abuses-2025-review
[7] Leaving the Door Wide Open: How Flock's Nationwide License Plate Reader Network Creates a Backdoor for Federal Immigration Enforcement (University of Washington Center for Human Rights) https://jsis.washington.edu/humanrights/2025/10/21/leaving-the-door-wide-open/
[8] Virginia Passes Plate Reader Oversight Bill (Independent Institute) https://www.independent.org/article/2025/06/05/virginia-alpr-oversight-bill-privacy-license-plate-reader/
[9] Flock's Gunshot Detection Microphones Will Start Listening for Human Voices (Electronic Frontier Foundation) https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/10/flocks-gunshot-detection-microphones-will-start-listening-human-voices
[10] Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program Overview (Bureau of Justice Assistance) https://bja.ojp.gov/program/jag/overview
[11] DOJ Grants Financial Guide, Postaward Requirements (Office of Justice Programs) https://www.ojp.gov/funding/financialguidedoj/iii-postaward-requirements
[12] Martinsville phases out gunshot detection tech, Roanoke plans implementation (WSLS 10 News) https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2025/12/16/martinsville-phases-out-gunshot-detection-tech-roanoke-plans-implementation/
Additional Information
OIG finds that ShotSpotter alerts rarely lead to evidence of a gun-related crime (Chicago Office of Inspector General) https://igchicago.org/2021/08/24/oig-finds-that-shotspotter-alerts-rarely-lead-to-evidence-of-a-gun-related-crime-and-that-presence-of-the-technology-changes-police-behavior/
Gunshot Detection References (ASU Center for Problem-Oriented Policing) https://popcenter.asu.edu/content/gunshot-detection-references
Exclusive: Flock Safety Reveals Gunshot Sensors Tied to Cameras (Government Technology) https://www.govtech.com/biz/exclusive-flock-safety-reveals-gunshot-sensors-tied-to-cameras
Does Flock Share Data With ICE? (Flock Safety corporate blog) https://www.flocksafety.com/blog/does-flock-share-data-with-ice
Then & Now: Martinsville begins dismantling network of gunshot detectors (Cardinal News) https://cardinalnews.org/2025/12/12/then-now-martinsville-begins-dismantling-network-of-gunshot-detectors/