Oklahoma City renews Flock camera contract with new data limits

19 August 2026. [AI first draft. Verify every fact against the source before publishing.]

The Oklahoma City Council voted 5-3 on Tuesday to renew its contract with Flock Safety, the automated license plate reader company, with newly imposed regulations on police access to camera data. The vote took place with one councilman absent. Mayor David Holt and four councilors voted yes, while three voted no. This marks the third renewal since the city began using Flock cameras in 2023.

The contract amendment represents the first time Oklahoma City has placed restrictions on Flock operations after three years without formal oversight of the system. Police Chief Rron Bacy presented the new regulations to council, which include shortening data retention from 30 days to 7 days, establishing limits on data sharing, and controlling future camera expansion. Bacy stated that all 90 cameras authorized under the contract have been installed and the department is not currently expanding the network. Council members raised concerns about police access to private security cameras and cited a recent case of an officer using Flock data for private purposes over five months, detected only through resident complaint.

The amendment was added in response to public backlash and privacy concerns about mass surveillance capabilities. No residents spoke in favor of the contract renewal; multiple speakers called for cancellation of the camera system entirely. Councilwoman JoBeth Hamon noted that Flock has a documented history of misrepresenting its technology and questioned whether guardrails were sufficient given the officer misconduct incident. Residents in Oklahoma City can request public records on Flock camera usage, data retention practices, and police access logs under the new amendment [verify: specific records available and FOIA request procedures]. Residents in other jurisdictions should check their city council agendas and records for any planned votes on Flock contracts or ALPR camera renewals.

Read the original reporting: freepressokc.com.