The Los Angeles Police Department has allowed its three-year contract with Flock Safety to expire, shutting down 138 pole-mounted license plate surveillance cameras across the city as of Saturday. The LAPD — the third-largest police department in the United States — is one of Flock's biggest government customers to date.

LAPD Chief Information Officer Dean Gialamas told reporters the department could not continue the partnership without stronger contractual language around data privacy, security, and sharing. "This contract is not being renewed because of serious concerns around civil liberties and civil rights issues, particularly around privacy and the data that is being collected from these cameras," Gialamas said.

The decision follows an inspector general audit that urged a pause on new deployments and contracts until enforceable oversight rules were in place. In late May, L.A. City Councilmember Ysabel Jurado introduced a motion asking the Board of Police Commissioners to refrain from entering new agreements with Flock.

Advocacy groups have warned that Flock's data-sharing practices could aid federal immigration enforcement. Flock cameras are operated by the Atlanta-based company, not by the police department directly, and data collected in Los Angeles could be accessed by other agencies, including immigration authorities — a particularly sensitive issue given the Trump administration's ongoing deportation efforts.

Flock spokesperson Holly Beilin said the contract expiry caught the company by "surprise" and expressed confidence that the company could "clear up the current misconceptions." Flock did not specify which concerns it considered misconceptions.

Los Angeles is not the first city to sever ties with Flock. Mountain View, California and South Portland, Maine have also ended their relationships with the surveillance company, both citing privacy concerns and fears that federal immigration officials used the cameras to track people in violation of local sanctuary city policies.

Flock contracts with thousands of law enforcement agencies nationwide. The LAPD says it is seeking new contractual language but has not indicated when — or if — the cameras might be turned back on.

Sources: TechCrunch, Los Angeles Times