Flock Safety Representatives Face Questions in South Fulton Town Hall About Data Sharing, Privacy and Possible Immigration Access Concerns

SOUTH FULTON, GA — A Flock Safety representative was pressed Thursday night on privacy, data sharing and immigration enforcement during a South Fulton town hall focused on the company’s license plate cameras. The forum brought together city officials, a state lawmaker, a technology professor and an ACLU representative as residents asked how the system is used and who can access the information it collects.

Mayor Carmalitha Gumbs hosted the event at the Southwest Arts Center. Dr. Cedric Alexander, the city’s interim director of public safety, moderated the discussion and said officers use the cameras to help solve crimes, locate stolen cars, find missing people and identify wanted suspects. The meeting centered on whether those benefits come with enough safeguards.

Company says local agencies control sharing and federal access is not automatic

During the discussion, CBS News Atlanta asked Flock government relations manager Jalen Johnson whether data collected in Georgia had ever been shared with federal immigration agents. Johnson said he was not in a position to answer for individual law enforcement agencies because each agency decides where its data goes.

He later added that Flock does not see which outside agencies local departments share information with. According to Johnson, federal access is not switched on by default. Instead, a federal agency must request the data and the local agency must choose to share it. Johnson said the company built the system that way after what he described as previous mistakes.

He also said Flock does not have a contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Retention period has been cut and audits are being expanded

Johnson said Flock recently reduced its data retention period from 30 days to seven days. He also said every law enforcement customer will be subject to mandatory proactive auditing by the end of the year. The company presented those changes as part of its effort to address concerns about how long the data is kept and how it is reviewed.

He told the audience that Flock supports what he called reasonable guardrails, though he did not offer a specific example of a guardrail the company would consider unreasonable. Johnson said the company is continuing those conversations with lawmakers and members of the public as concerns over surveillance technology remain active.

The exchange showed that the company is still trying to explain how its technology works and how it limits access, especially as more communities ask for clearer rules.

South Fulton officials describe internal audits and possible misuse cases

Alexander said the city audits searches made through its Flock system, and those reviews have uncovered a few cases of misuse. He did not believe any South Fulton officers had been fired over possible misuse of the system, though he said there may have been suspensions.

That detail underscored one of the central concerns at the town hall: how a tool intended for public safety can be monitored closely enough to prevent misuse. Alexander’s comments suggested the city is already checking how the system is used inside the department, even as residents continue to ask for more transparency.

Gumbs said she does not have concerns about her police department at this time, but she made clear that she wants less access to the data and more accountability around it.

Residents press for assurances that the cameras will not be abused

For some people in the room, the questions were less about technology and more about trust. Jack Mallines, who has lived in South Fulton since 2003, said he has seen the cameras around town but did not know exactly what they were. He said he wants to be sure no one misuses the system.

His concerns reflected a broader unease about how license plate cameras fit into daily life. Supporters say the devices can help police work faster and recover stolen vehicles, but critics often want clearer limits on who can search the data, when it can be shared and how long it is stored.

Gumbs sought to reassure residents by emphasizing that South Fulton is not, in her words, a dangerous city by far. Still, she said the city wants stronger accountability even if the technology remains in use.

Town hall could lead to a second meeting as debate continues

The mayor said the forum was productive enough that the city may hold a second town hall to continue the discussion. That possibility suggests the issue is far from settled, especially as residents, city leaders and outside experts continue to weigh the benefits of license plate cameras against concerns about privacy and oversight.

Thursday night’s event also showed how local government, public safety leaders and advocacy groups are trying to answer the same questions from different angles. Officials want tools that help solve crimes and recover stolen cars, while community members want clear limits, transparent rules and proof that the system is not being abused.

As those debates continue, South Fulton appears likely to keep examining both how the cameras are used and how the resulting data is handled.