Flock's CEO aims to place its cameras in all of America’s 17,000 cities.

      Flock

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      Recently, Flock cameras monitored my movements for a few days in Plymouth, MN, which led to my wife and me being surrounded by police who mistakenly believed I had committed grand theft auto. I was innocent. Currently, there are only 18 Flock cameras in Plymouth, but what does the future hold?

      Flock Safety Founder and CEO Garrett Langley had an exclusive one-on-one conversation on The Drivecast, discussing the current state of Flock, future plans, and his vision for what’s to come. Will there be a Flock camera on every street corner and in every school?

      You can listen to the complete discussion starting from the point where Langley shares his vision for Flock’s future.

      Before directly answering his vision for Flock and the direction it’s heading, Garrett provided insight into his personal motivations behind this vision. “Like many, I’m a father of three children. My main goal as a dad is to ensure their safety. They need to feel safe. Then I have to ensure they receive an education, develop into good people, and become productive members of society. If their safety is compromised, everything else begins to fall apart. I believe this is true for many children. A lack of safety can lead to broader societal issues.”

      Garrett then addressed the current state of Flock, using San Francisco as a case study. “In places like San Francisco, we noticed that four years ago, committing crimes was relatively easy. Then two or three years back, Mayor Breed and Mayor Lurie approached us, saying, ‘Flock, we need your assistance. It’s too simple to be a criminal, our businesses and residents are leaving. This isn’t sustainable for us.’”

      According to Garrett, the outcome of that situation was, “We implemented hundreds of license plate readers, deployed drones, and introduced our real-time crime center software to enhance officer efficiency. Now it’s considered one of the safest cities in America. Mayor Lurie boasts one of the highest approval ratings among major city mayors—he may even have the highest, as of my last check.”

      When discussing the future of society and Flock’s role, Garrett envisions, “I see a future where more cities resemble San Francisco, where committing crimes is extremely challenging—so much so that people are discouraged from doing it altogether. This may sound like a distant goal, but it’s already unfolding in San Francisco. I believe we can replicate this in Oakland. Currently, we’re active in 7,000 cities, and I aim to expand to all 17,000 cities in America to create that reality, as it’s entirely achievable. We plan to develop any necessary technology to assist us in this endeavor while respecting local societal norms. It may seem ambitious, but I articulated this ten years ago, and it’s genuinely materializing at scale. It’s an exciting time.”

      Whether this vision will come to fruition remains to be seen.

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