New York City police officers searched Flock Safety's nationwide license plate database 1,710 times over nearly three years despite the NYPD having no direct contract with the company, according to records obtained by privacy groups.

The searches occurred between March 2023 and December 2025, according to records obtained by the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project and LatinoJustice.

The records were collected through the Have I Been Flocked website, which compiles Flock audit logs obtained through public records requests.

The NYPD has acknowledged that it does not have a contract with Flock but said a limited number of authorized personnel can access a national commercial license plate reader database.

The privacy groups are now seeking information about how NYPD personnel were able to conduct the searches and whether officers were accessing Flock's system through another law enforcement agency's contract.

Their public records request seeks NYPD audit logs, communications, agreements involving Flock, training materials and policies governing searches of the database.

The records show that nearly 1,000 searches contained no meaningful explanation or used vague descriptions such as “investigation,” “wanted person” or “inquiry.” Other searches were identified only by numbers, license plates or references to crimes including homicide and burglary.

At least 131 searches listed the Queens District Attorney's Office as the requesting agency, adding another question about how the database was being accessed and by which agencies.

Flock Safety operates a network of automated license plate reader cameras used by participating law enforcement agencies. The cameras capture vehicle information, including license plates, along with details such as the location and time a vehicle was recorded.

Police agencies participating in the network can make their camera data available to other law enforcement agencies. Authorized agencies can also search across participating cameras for a specific license plate when access to the network is available.

Flock says searches conducted by law enforcement agencies must have a documented purpose and are automatically logged for review.

The company's search policies came under additional scrutiny after Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., invited Flock CEO Garrett Langley to testify before a Senate Judiciary subcommittee. Langley declined the invitation.

Flock has since announced additional safeguards for law enforcement searches. The company began requiring officers to select a standardized offense type for every search in December 2025 and said it will require a case number for every law enforcement search by the end of the year.

The records do not by themselves establish why NYPD personnel were able to access Flock's database without a direct contract with the company. The privacy groups are seeking additional records to determine whether the searches were conducted through another agency's account or agreement.