Flock Cameras: Edmond Official’s Response

City officials also address concerns about Flock Safety and law enforcement.

The American Civil Liberties Union recently published an article detailing citizens’ concerns about Flock cameras, including “a lack of transparency, oversight, and regulation into how they collect, store, and use our data, and how to hold public and private actors accountable if they abuse it.”

Flock cameras are automated license plate readers that are manufactured by Flock Safety, a private technology company used by local law enforcement. 

Edmond Mayor Mark Nash said there are 14 Flock cameras in the city.

The ACLU also highlights concerns about data regulations among law enforcement.

Nash explained the cameras are only used during an investigation. They capture the license plate and color of the vehicle, he said. Nash also said it was rare for the cameras to identify the kind of vehicle.

“Do they do more than help you catch the bad guy, so to speak? No,” he said. “They basically give you a good idea of what direction they went and who you’re looking for because you can always do a background search on a license plate to see who the owner is. It doesn’t necessarily tell you who’s driving the car.” 

According to Flock’s transparency portal for Edmond, the cameras are prohibited from being used for immigration enforcement purposes, traffic enforcement, intimidation, and harassment. The portal also states that the cameras do not detect people, their faces, race, or gender. 

In late August, News9 reported two officers’ misuse of Flock cameras. An internal audit revealed that a sergeant used the cameras for personal use and an officer violated another individual’s rights. No further details were provided. 

Critics of Flock are concerned with law enforcement’s use of the data.

There is an auditing procedure for every officer that is authorised to review the data. Along with an audit, the police chief receives a report detailing how often it is being used, he said.

The data, which is owned by the police department, is kept for approximately 30 days at a time. 

When asked about how much the contract cost and when it was signed, he said he had “no idea how long we’ve had any of them. My guess would be it’s probably been 4 plus years, but I really don’t know.”

He said he didn’t know how much the contract cost but that it was a small fraction of Oklahoma City’s $270,000, according to News9. 

In a previous interview with The Vista, Nash said his primary concern during his campaign was the budget. 

Jennifer Thornton, communications and tourism director for the city of Edmond, said the city’s current contract for the 14 cameras has an annual cost of $70,000. $25,000 of that comes from a contract for a video security trailer.

The security trailer was approved in November, 2025.