Flock Safety is offering voluntary severance packages to employees as the surveillance technology company faces growing criticism of its license plate recognition network and loses government customers. The company reportedly expects significant interest from its roughly 1,500 employees and plans to approve departures for a majority of those who apply.
According to Wired, Flock described the package internally as the most generous severance offer in its history. The program gives employees an opportunity to leave voluntarily as public criticism weighs on internal morale, while people familiar with the company said layoffs would probably be necessary without the buyouts.
Cities Drop Flock Amid Privacy Concerns
The workforce changes follow months of scrutiny over how police agencies use Flock’s automated license plate readers. The cameras collect license plate numbers, vehicle characteristics, timestamps and locations, creating searchable records that law enforcement agencies can use during investigations.
A Washington Post investigation in August identified 46 cases in which police officers were accused of misusing Flock systems, including allegations that officers searched for wives, girlfriends or former partners. Flock says its platform includes audit logs and access controls intended to prevent improper searches.
Government customers have nevertheless begun reconsidering deployments. Florida and Texas have moved to stop using the company’s technology, while an anti-surveillance group identified 90 cities that ended Flock contracts in August alone, roughly four times the number recorded during the previous month.
Flock CEO Garrett Langley recently said the most significant effect of the backlash had been on employee morale. The company did not respond to a request for comment about the voluntary departure program.
Buyouts Could Reduce Pressure for Layoffs
Flock has raised substantial venture funding while expanding its camera network across the United States. Its technology is used by police departments, businesses and communities to identify vehicles and share evidence between participating agencies.
The company maintains that customers control access to data generated by its cameras and that its license plate reader systems include auditing and privacy controls. Critics have focused on the scale of the network, access between agencies and documented cases in which officers allegedly used the system for unauthorized purposes.
The voluntary buyouts could allow Flock to reduce its workforce while avoiding some involuntary layoffs. The company has not disclosed how many employees it ultimately expects to leave or whether additional workforce reductions are planned.
Featured image credits: Wikimedia Commons
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