What Flock Actually Costs Cities Across the Country

The Covington Police Department in Kentucky has been paying Flock a significant amount of money for its surveillance technology, and the costs are adding up quickly.

In 2022, the department paid Flock $81,250, which was an increase from previous years. Breaking down this cost, it's clear that Flock is charging cities not only for the initial installation of its cameras but also for ongoing maintenance and upgrades.

Fifteen new "Falcon cameras were installed in 2022, which accounted for a significant portion of the $81,250 bill. These Falcon cameras have more advanced technology for reading license plates than earlier models. In addition to purchasing these cameras, the department had to pay $3,750 to install them.

The rest of the money went towards maintaining the initial fleet of cameras. It's clear that Flock is charging cities not just a one-time fee but an ongoing expense to keep its technology up and running.

In 2024, the Covington Police Department paid Flock even more, $113,225. This payment included $87,500 for maintaining its existing 35 cameras over the next five years, as well as money for eight new Falcon cameras.

The Covington Police Department is not alone in paying Flock significant sums of money; other cities across the country are also paying hefty fees to use Flock's surveillance technology.

Flock's entry into law enforcement was initially met with resistance from some police departments due to concerns over data sharing and ownership. However, by leveraging existing relationships with private homeowner associations (HOAs), Flock was able to gain a foothold in the market.

In Alpharetta, Georgia, this dynamic played out in 2020 when the city's police department purchased five Falcon cameras from Flock for $17,680. The purchase also included logins for Wing software, which enables the extraction of vehicle and license plate data from footage captured by off-brand cameras.

A subsequent justification for a 2021 Flock camera purchase noted that several local HOAs had already adopted the technology, granting the police department access to their cameras as well. This existing infrastructure allowed Alpharetta to expand its use of Flock's surveillance system more easily.

The city's relationship with Flock continued to grow over the next few years, with Alpharetta's annual bill ballooning to $381,000 by 2025. As in other industries, financial incentives often play a significant role in securing initial sales and long-term contracts for police technology companies.

Clearview AI, Ring, and Taser are among the companies that have used enticing offers to win over law enforcement agencies across the country. According to Guariglia, vendors have learned from traditional sales techniques and now frequently employ deals and discounts to secure business.

Flock's product lineup has also expanded in recent years, with Alpharetta paying for an upgrade to the Elite Package of FlockOS in 2025. Additionally, the city took advantage of a 90-day free trial period last year to test a new product called Nova.

Flock has introduced a new pricing strategy that offers discounts for departments signing multiyear contracts.

This approach has proven successful in various cities, including Alpharetta, which secured a five-year deal worth $254,250 in the first year and $238,000 each subsequent year.

In comparison to individual one-year agreements, this contract represents a significant cost savings of $232,500.

The city's police department declined to comment on the matter.

Flock has also been offering bundled product packages as part of its long-term contracts, which appears to be a key factor in securing deals with other cities.

Albany County Sheriff's Office in New York was recently approached by Flock customer success manager Gwen Saltal with a five-year contract offer.

The email highlighted the increased cost of new cameras, which would rise from $2,500 to $3,000 for future renewal terms on existing cameras.

The proposed order form listed numerous other Flock products and services included in the contract, although it is unclear how many of these were new additions to the agreement.

Greenfield's city council unanimously approved Mixer's revised Flock contract, bringing an end to the negotiations process.

A Public Sector Price Sheet for Flock products obtained by WIRED reveals the approximate price ranges observed in Flock purchase orders from around the country at that time. The sheet reflects the prices for various agencies across different regions and cities.

Flock categorizes its clients into 14 pricing buckets, with each bucket corresponding to a specific agency size. Agencies in Bucket 1 have one to 15 sworn officers, and their Flock software costs range from $2,000 to $115,500, depending on the package selected and add-ons chosen.

The cost of individual hardware components also varies significantly, with license plate readers and surveillance cameras priced at $3,000 to $5,200 annually. Installation costs can be substantial, ranging from $150 to $2,750 upfront.

Flock's gunshot detectors are available for $8,500 to $35,000 per year, depending on their range, while individual drones cost between $50,000 and $150,000 annually. The company also offers two mobile security trailer" options priced at $20,000 and $25,000 annually.

Flock's pricing structure appears to be in line with its competitors, with costs varying depending on individual negotiations with cities and the size of the purchase.

Axon, a rival company, recently quoted Denver $150,000 for installing 50 cameras across the city and maintaining them for one year. Meanwhile, Motorola charged Manti, Utah, $4,704 for a single license plate reader. These prices suggest that Flock's costs are comparable to its industry peers.

Flock also offers protection against vandalism, which has become a growing concern as cities nationwide report incidents of damaged or stolen cameras. According to Flock's contract conditions, the company retains ownership of the products it sells to cities, which means that when equipment is damaged or destroyed, cities are responsible for the cost.

In cases where Flock products are damaged or stolen, the company has flat replacement rates: $800 for cameras, $500 for poles, and $1,300 for both. These costs may seem steep, but they are a fraction of what cities typically spend on other law enforcement expenses.

Some cities have highlighted the financial burden of replacing damaged Flock equipment, often citing inflated costs. For instance, police in Winona, Minnesota, claimed that camera replacements cost $3,000 each, while those in Rutherfordton, North Carolina, said they were $3,500 apiece, both figures exceeding Flock's listed rate by several hundred dollars.

In Derby, Kansas, a man damaged 10 Flock cameras, prompting local police to claim he caused $26,000 in damages. However, if the poles were also damaged, replacements would likely have cost between $8,000 and $13,000, significantly less than initially stated.

Cities across the country have been significantly increasing their spending on Flock technology over just a few years, with some cities seeing costs rise exponentially.

For instance, Savannah, Georgia, paid $33,000 for Flock in 2020 but increased its expenditure to $193,500 by 2025. Similarly, Snellville, Georgia, initially spent $5,000 on Flock in both 2021 and 2022 before seeing a sharp increase to $163,275 by 2025.

Other cities have also been purchasing large quantities of Flock technology, with budgets often exceeding $100,000. However, some customers are starting to reevaluate their investments due to rising costs.

Sheriff Jack Hall of Lorain County, Ohio, recently announced that the county would be canceling its Flock contract after being informed that the company planned to raise the two-year rate for 15 cameras by 17 percent.