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The problem
Police, cities and HOAs lack evidence and leads to solve car-linked crimes quickly with small teams
What they do
License plate reader cameras, video, gunshot detection, drones and search software for police and communities
Traction $500M+ ARR in H1 2026, up from $300M in early 2025 (+70% YoY then); 5,000+ communities, ~120K cameras
Hiring trend
- Open roles
- 27
- Ops roles
- 2
- Headcount
- ~1,500 before cuts; ~1,230 after Oct 2026 (est.)
Shrinking: ~18% (~270) cut via buyouts Oct 2026 after headcount grew ~1,255 → ~1,543 (Q1 2025 → Q1 2026, Revelio); postings ~270 early 2026 → 25 now, mostly field techs
Hiring in
- Atlanta
- Phoenix
- Mesa
- Remote (US)
Latest news
Oct 2026
Cutting ~18% of staff (~270) after a voluntary buyout program amid privacy backlash ↗Glassdoor
3.8 ★ 230 reviews ↗Funding
- Last round
- $500M
- Stage
- Series H
- Date
- Apr 2026
Led by Andreessen Horowitz, Tiger Global
- Hiring+1.527 open roles on the live job board (10–29 roles = +1.5)
- Funding recency+2Series H · $500M, Apr 2026 (6 months ago): 6 months or less = +1.5, $100M+ round +0.5
- Traction+1.5Strong growth: $500M+ ARR in H1 2026, up from $300M in early 2025 (+70% YoY then); 5,000+ communities, ~120K cameras
- Red flags−33 significant flags in the last 24 months, −1 each1) Workforce cut of ~18% (~270 people) via a voluntary separation program, departures end of Oct 2026; Wired reported layoffs were otherwise likely. 2) Accelerating customer loss and government bans: 214 localities dropped Flock since 2021, 93 in Aug 2026 alone (Secure Justice); Florida DOT ordered LPRs off state highways (Aug 2026); Denver, LAPD, Boston and others ended or lapsed contracts; Senate (Hawley) investigation. Driven by reports that local police ran Flock searches for ICE/CBP and by officer misuse. 3) Litigation wave: sued 23 times in federal court (most in 2026), consolidated California ALPR data-sharing class action (N.D. Cal.), nationwide Schulte privacy class action (N.D. Ga., Aug 2026). Watch (not scored separately): ACLU and civil-liberties criticism, folded into flags 2 and 3.TechCrunch: Flock cuts staff ~18% (~270) as privacy backlash grows (Oct 2026) ↗ · Reuters via Investing.com: Flock to cut several hundred jobs amid backlash (Oct 2026) ↗ · Ars Technica: Cities terminate Flock contracts at record pace in August (Aug 2026) ↗ · NBC News: Florida bans Flock and other LPRs from state highways (Aug 2026) ↗ · NPR: Why some cities are ditching Flock (ICE search reports) (Feb 2026) ↗ · 404 Media: ICE taps into Flock camera network via local police (May 2025) ↗ · Law Street Media: Flock sued 23 times in federal court; consolidated CA class action (Aug 2026) ↗ · Atlanta News First: Schulte v. Flock nationwide privacy class action (Sep 2026) ↗
- Total2.01.5 + 2 + 1.5 − 3 = 2.0 → Steady (1.5–3.49)
Distance (Half) is a separate read on how long the lead can last. It doesn't change the score.
Distance
Half · edge: grows with users
Dominant US license-plate-reader platform ($500M+ ARR, 5,000+ communities) whose shared national search network grows more useful with every camera; but bans, 200+ cancellations, lawsuits and a staff cut are now running that network effect in reverse, and Axon and Motorola are winning some switchers (Denver).
Sources: Fortune: Flock $500M at $8.3B, crossed $500M ARR in H1 2026 (Aug 2026) ↗ · Law Street Media: Flock is the dominant player in ALPR, 5,000+ cities (Aug 2026) ↗ · Ars Technica: 214 localities dropped Flock, 93 in Aug 2026 (Aug 2026) ↗
Watch-outs
1) Workforce cut of ~18% (~270 people) via a voluntary separation program, departures end of Oct 2026; Wired reported layoffs were otherwise likely. 2) Accelerating customer loss and government bans: 214 localities dropped Flock since 2021, 93 in Aug 2026 alone (Secure Justice); Florida DOT ordered LPRs off state highways (Aug 2026); Denver, LAPD, Boston and others ended or lapsed contracts; Senate (Hawley) investigation. Driven by reports that local police ran Flock searches for ICE/CBP and by officer misuse. 3) Litigation wave: sued 23 times in federal court (most in 2026), consolidated California ALPR data-sharing class action (N.D. Cal.), nationwide Schulte privacy class action (N.D. Ga., Aug 2026). Watch (not scored separately): ACLU and civil-liberties criticism, folded into flags 2 and 3.
Sources: TechCrunch: Flock cuts staff ~18% (~270) as privacy backlash grows (Oct 2026) ↗ · Reuters via Investing.com: Flock to cut several hundred jobs amid backlash (Oct 2026) ↗ · Ars Technica: Cities terminate Flock contracts at record pace in August (Aug 2026) ↗ · NBC News: Florida bans Flock and other LPRs from state highways (Aug 2026) ↗ · NPR: Why some cities are ditching Flock (ICE search reports) (Feb 2026) ↗ · 404 Media: ICE taps into Flock camera network via local police (May 2025) ↗ · Law Street Media: Flock sued 23 times in federal court; consolidated CA class action (Aug 2026) ↗ · Atlanta News First: Schulte v. Flock nationwide privacy class action (Sep 2026) ↗
Last checked Oct 25, 2026