Flock's CEO aims to have its cameras installed in all 17,000 cities across the United States.

      Flock

      The latest car news and reviews, no fluff.

      Our free daily newsletter delivers the most important stories straight to you every weekday.

      Recently, Flock cameras tracked me for several days in Plymouth, MN, leading to my wife and me being approached by police who suspected I had committed grand theft auto. I was innocent. At present, there are only 18 Flock cameras in Plymouth, but what will the future hold?

      Garrett Langley, the Founder and CEO of Flock Safety, participated in an exclusive one-on-one interview on The Drivecast to discuss the current state of Flock as well as its future, pondering what lies ahead. Will Flock cameras become commonplace on every street corner and within every school?

      Tune in to the full discussion starting from when Langley shares his vision for Flock’s future below.

      Before directly addressing his vision for Flock and where we are headed, Garrett provided insight into his personal motivation. “Like you, I am a father of three. My main goal as a father is to ensure their safety. They need to feel safe, and I also want to make sure they receive a good education and grow up to be respectable, contributing members of society. But if they do not feel safe, everything else starts to deteriorate. This is true for many children; a lack of safety can lead to societal decline.”

      Garrett then turned to the current status of Flock, using San Francisco as a reference point. “In places like San Francisco four years ago, committing a crime was relatively easy. Then, a couple of years ago, Mayor Breed and Mayor Lurie reached out, stating, ‘Flock, we need assistance. It’s too easy for criminals to operate here, and businesses and residents are leaving. This approach isn’t sustainable.’”

      The outcome of that situation, according to Garrett, was significant: “We deployed hundreds of license plate readers, drones, and real-time crime center software to enhance officer efficiency. Now, it stands as one of the safest cities in America, and Mayor Lurie boasts one of the highest approval ratings among major city mayors—possibly the highest, based on my last check.”

      As for society’s future and the role of Flock, Garrett shared, “I envision a future where more cities resemble San Francisco, making it exceedingly difficult for crime to go unpunished—so challenging that people simply opt not to engage in it. This might seem like a futuristic idea, but it's unfolding in San Francisco. I believe we can replicate this in Oakland. Currently, we are present in 7,000 cities, and I aim to extend our reach to all 17,000 cities in America to create that future, as it is entirely feasible. We are committed to developing technologies that facilitate this while respecting our community standards. It may sound ambitious, but I proclaimed this a decade ago, and now it’s truly materializing on a large scale. It’s an exhilarating period.”

      Whether this vision will become reality remains to be seen.

      Have a tip? Reach out to us at tips@thedrive.com.