# Flock's installer called 911 on a reporter filming in public > A technician putting up a license plate camera dialed police over being recorded, and three squad cars stopped the reporter holding the camera. - Title: Flock's installer called 911 on a reporter filming in public - Summary: A technician putting up a license plate camera dialed police over being recorded, and three squad cars stopped the reporter holding the camera. A company… - Keywords: surveillance, flock safety, press freedom, privacy, policing, technology, startups, Flock's, installer, called, 911, reporter - Source: Investigatetv — https://investigatetv.com/2026/09/08/flock-worker-calls-police-investigatetv-reporter-filming-public-camera-installation - Published: 2026-09-08T16:15:18.006+00:00 - Read time: 3 min - Topics: surveillance, flock safety, press freedom, privacy, policing, technology, startups ## Flock is feeling heat Criticism of the company's plate readers and AI cameras spread coast to coast this summer. Flock announced privacy changes, and civil rights groups and community leaders stayed unconvinced. ## Cancellations, bans, and growth Towns dropped contracts and lawmakers pushed outright bans. Flock still told a trade publication its growth beats cancellations 10-to-1 across roughly 120,000 readers. ## A new camera down the street On Aug. 19, a technician was upgrading a Flock camera on a public road in suburban Atlanta, not far from the home of InvestigateTV reporter Brendan Keefe. ## He made himself obvious Keefe parked at a distance, put on a yellow safety vest and a hat with his station's logo, set a press placard on the dashboard, then pulled out a camera. ## The installer drove off The moment the technician saw the camera, he packed up his gear and left. Keefe followed several cars back, hoping to film the next stop. ## Then came the 911 call The installer told a dispatcher he was being tailed and described Keefe's car, his hat and his vest. InvestigateTV got the recordings through public records requests. > I was getting harassed, pretty much. Taking videos and pictures. ## Three cruisers, one reporter A Milton officer pulled Keefe over minutes later, joined by two more units. He explained on camera exactly who he was and what he was doing. > I'm a member of the press, and I was following at a distance because I'm documenting them putting up Flock cameras. ## No laws broken Body camera footage catches the officer briefing her supervisor. The following was real, she said, but nowhere near close enough to look like stalking. > Yeah, he was following him, but he was not chasing him. ## The installer feared exposure The officer relayed his worry about ending up on television, and about where that attention might land. Installers, she said, are told simply not to engage. > And his worry more than anything is that, you know, he's just an employee. Anybody like you and me. ## Privacy, in a public place Keefe put the contradiction straight to the officer. She said she was only passing along a concern and would not tell him how to read it. > So just to be clear, he's entitled to his privacy in a public place? ## A word about the camera The officer nodded at press rights, then offered an opinion about what belongs on air. About 17 minutes after the stop began, Keefe was allowed to drive away. > But also, we should probably be a little more careful on who we put on TV and stuff like that. ## Flock's official position A spokesperson said field workers are expected to prioritize their safety and may call law enforcement when they feel threatened, harassed or followed. > We do not object to members of the public or press photographing Flock cameras or personnel in public. ## Not the first call On June 5, a Flock employee called Smyrna police on YouTube creators filming outside the company's distribution center. He opened with the sales pitch. The dispatcher answered, "we appreciate y'all." > It's Flock Safety. We do the license plate reading cameras that solve 20% of crime across America. ## Maybe armed, none seen The caller described three young white men with filming equipment and raised the possibility they were armed three separate times. Asked directly, he admitted he had seen no weapons. ## You do this to us One creator confronted quality manager James Boyce over the asymmetry. Nobody was charged, though the group left under an official trespass warning. > That's what you guys do to us, without our consent. ## Flock cites real threats The company pointed to people who allegedly tried to get into its headquarters claiming an interview, and to a California man accused of pulling a knife on an installer. > Threats of violence, or rhetoric that encourages or celebrates violence against employees, should never be part of that discourse. ## The researcher on the sidewalk Benn Jordan was filming with the creators. Months earlier he had found encryption flaws exposing camera feeds. Flock said 60 to 70 units were affected and blamed an ISP's wrong SIM cards. ## Scrubbing their own data Jordan said staff have gone to extremes to erase their personal information online, which he found hard to square with the company's entire business. > their response to this controversy is scrubbing data as a company that literally collects data every single time you pass a camera ## Press not welcome At Flock Forward 2026 in Atlanta, Jordan's registration was canceled four days out and InvestigateTV was refused entry. Drone footage showed badged officers at a rooftop reception. > Flock Forward is a customer event and not open to the media. ## Opt out of society In April, Keefe asked Flock's Josh Thomas why nobody can refuse the tracking. Thomas said a plate is plain view information the government requires you to display. > And so why can't you opt out. You can, if you want to opt out of society. ## Key takeaway A company built on recording people without their consent keeps calling the police on people who record it.