10 questions the records answer, with links into the pages that hold the detail.
What is Flock Safety?
Flock Safety is an Atlanta-based company that sells automated license plate reader cameras and the software behind them to police departments, cities, counties, and campuses. The cameras photograph plates on passing cars and store the scans in a searchable database. The Flock contracts hub covers how the systems work.
Who approves a Flock contract?
It varies, and that variation is the point of this site. Some contracts pass by recorded council vote, some ride consent agendas, some stay under purchasing thresholds that need no vote, and some arrive through co-op contracts or grants. Each record names the approval path; the officials index lists every named vote.
What does a record contain?
A record holds the jurisdiction, agency, status, approval method and body, decision date, documented cost, camera count, end date, funding source, a sourced summary, and links to every document behind it. Empty fields mean the documents have not stated the fact. The data page defines each field.
How do cancellations happen?
Councils vote to terminate, contracts lapse at their end date without renewal, or an executive lets an agreement expire. The tracker records each ending with its documented route and date in the cancellations ledger.
What retention rules apply to the data the cameras collect?
It depends on the state. Virginia caps retention, and every tracked Virginia record with portal data reports 21 days. The common vendor default is 30 days. Washington rewrote its public-records treatment of the footage in 2026. The state-law explainer covers the map.
How do I check my city?
Search from the homepage or open the tracker table and filter by state, status, or approval method. If your city is missing, that means no public record has put it in the dataset yet, and you can submit it with a source.
How does the data update?
Records update as documents publish. Minutes often land days or weeks after a vote, so a tally can appear on a record before the names do. The decision calendar lists scheduled votes and renewal deadlines, and alerts cover renewals.
How should I cite the tracker?
For a single contract: Who Approved This, “[record title],” whoapprovedthis.org, accessed [date], [record URL]. For the dataset: Who Approved This, “Flock Safety Contract Tracker,” whoapprovedthis.org, accessed [date], https://whoapprovedthis.org/tracker/. Each record page prints its own line near its sources.
What export formats exist?
Three, all computed live: a CSV for spreadsheets, a JSON feed with a generated timestamp, and an ICS calendar of votes and deadlines that subscribes into any calendar app. The data page links all 3 and documents the fields.
How do I submit a correction?
Use the corrections page with a link to the document that shows the error. Corrections get checked against the record’s sources, and the record notes the change when it happens.