Flock Safety, previously utilizing its drones solely for law enforcement, has now extended its offerings to private security, the company revealed today, targeting businesses seeking to reduce shoplifting incidents.
In the US, companies can now install Flock’s drone docking stations on their sites. If a waiver from the Federal Aviation Administration allows for operations beyond visual line of sight (which are becoming increasingly attainable), the security personnel can navigate the drones over a specified area, usually spanning several miles.
“Rather than a 911 call [that activates the drone], it’s an alarm notification,” explains Keith Kauffman, a former police chief currently in charge of Flock’s drone initiative. “The response remains consistent.”
Kauffman elaborated on the operational model of the drone program concerning retail theft: If the security staff at a retailer like Home Depot, for instance, observed shoplifters exit the store, the drone, fitted with cameras, could be deployed from its docking position on the roof.
“The drone tracks the individuals. They enter a vehicle. You hit a button,” he states, “and the drone follows the car.”
The drone’s video feed may reach the company’s security squad, but it could also be sent directly to law enforcement agencies.
The firm indicates that it is negotiating with major retail chains but has yet to secure any signed agreements. The only private-sector entity Kauffman identified as a client is Morning Star, a tomato processing company in California that employs drones for the safety of its distribution centers. Flock also plans to market the drones to hospitals, warehouses, and oil and gas operations.
It’s important to mention that the FAA is in the process of formulating new regulations regarding approvals for pilots operating drones out of sight, and it remains uncertain whether Flock’s application would comply with the proposed directives.
The company’s foray into the private sector follows the emergence of initiatives by police departments nationwide to utilize drones as initial responders. In these initiatives, law enforcement dispatches drones to provide visual information more swiftly than patrol officers can reach the location.
Flock has arguably spearheaded this movement, with police departments citing successful drone operations, such as a supply delivery to a child lost in the Colorado wilderness. However, the programs have also raised concerns about privacy, fears of overpolicing in marginalized communities, and lawsuits claiming that police should not obstruct public access to drone recordings.
Other services Flock provides, such as license plate scanning, have come under scrutiny for how easily federal immigration authorities, including ICE and CBP, can access data collected by local law enforcement during President Trump’s mass deportation campaign.
Flock’s foray into private security is “a rational move, yet a misstep,” asserts Rebecca Williams, senior strategist for the ACLU’s privacy and data governance division.
Williams highlighted the increasing diminishment of Fourth Amendment rights—which safeguard against unreasonable search and seizure—in the digital age, where the government can buy personal information that would typically require a warrant to obtain. Proposed legislation aimed at halting that practice has stalled, and Williams contends that Flock’s move into the private sector would worsen this issue.
“Flock has become the Meta of surveillance technology,” states Williams, alluding to the vast amount of personal information the company has gathered and commercialized. “This growth is extremely concerning.”
