By Connor Walter Brickel
Boynton Beach commissioners want to “block Flock” and find a better alternative to the program that uses cameras to read license plates and helps police track vehicles that may be connected to crimes.
On Oct. 20, the City Commission weighed its options with Flock, with which the city has an agreement until November 2027. Police Chief Joseph DeGiulio showed positive data from the program, but commissioners say Flock hasn’t been transparent on data sharing.
Flock is the brand of automated license plate recognition technology that Boynton Beach uses to capture license plate information and other details about passing vehicles. That information can help investigators identify a vehicle connected to a crime.
These LPRs are different from the cameras in the city that attempt to catch drivers running red lights.
Flock has come under intense national scrutiny with concerns about how its data is used or can be misused. The commission reached a consensus that a nonrenewal would be the right path to take. City staff will begin identifying other software to bring before the commission and negotiate contracts with Flock to try to end the use of its cameras in the city sooner.
“My preference would be the option of nonrenewal,” DeGiulio said. “It allows me enough time to provide some options for this commission, as we move forward with a new vendor.”
Boynton Beach has 47 Flock cameras; 38 are operational and nine are awaiting permits. The city also has a seven-day data retention period.
The police chief presented crime clearance data showing that the department’s use of the Flock cameras increased its overall crime clearance from 22% in 2024 and 32% in 2025 to 40% so far in 2026.
DeGiulio said the Flock program took over 300 days to set up in 2023, so changing to another LPR could cause a pause in operations. City staff said it would work on bringing options to the commission for an alternate LPR program.
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