Chandler discontinuing Flock license plate readers; announces 'anomaly' in system's use
A person seen with a sign that reads "Get The Flock Out of Chandler" during a Chandler City Council meeting.
CHANDLER, Ariz. - City officials in Chandler say the East Valley city will discontinue its use of automated license plate readers that are provided by Flock.
What we know:
News of the cameras' discontinuation was announced in a statement released on Aug. 7.
"The city will no longer pursue the renewal of a service agreement with the vendor at this time," read a portion of the statement. "Although Chandler’s access to the system will be terminated, the 40 fixed-camera [automated license plate readers] and poles are the property of Flock Group, Inc. The removal of that equipment will be performed as quickly as possible by the vendor."
The backstory:
City officials say their use of Flock's automated license plate readers began in March 2024 as part of a pilot project that resulted in 14 cameras being installed.
"The service agreement with Flock was expanded to 40 cameras in May 2025," read a portion of the statement.
Dig deeper:
Officials wrote in the statement that their "routine audit process identified an anomaly in the use of the Flock system that could not be explained through standard police action."
"We are currently investigating to determine if the Flock system was used inappropriately, and if so, what discipline may be required," officials wrote.
What they're saying:
"Our initial review makes it clear that no Chandler resident, or any member of the public, had their privacy compromised. Nonetheless, any misuse of the Flock system is a matter we take extremely seriously, and our investigation is ongoing," officials wrote.
What's next:
City officials said they are strengthening safeguards regarding the future use of similar cameras and data.
"This will include policy revision, additional audit procedures and reporting requirements. If this protection package is in place and approved by City Council in a public, transparent process, we may go out for a request of proposals to evaluate vendors who can maintain our high standards," read a portion of the statement.
The Source: Information for this article was gathered from a statement released by the City of Chandler.