The Huntington, West Virginia city council voted 6-4 early Tuesday, July 14, 2026, to approve a five-year, more than $2.1 million contract with surveillance technology vendor Flock Safety, clearing the way for citywide deployment of license plate readers, video cameras, drones and gunshot detection sensors. The vote came after a marathon council session that stretched more than eight hours into Tuesday morning, during which dozens of residents voiced opposition to the plan. The decision makes Huntington the latest of thousands of U.S. municipalities to adopt Flock’s automated license plate recognition network amid mounting scrutiny of the technology’s data practices nationally.
What The City Is Buying
The council approved two related items: a five-year purchase and services agreement Farrell put at more than $2.1 million, and a separate two-year support and maintenance agreement that ensures ongoing technical support, maintenance and system reliability for the department’s Flock-based technology, carrying an annual cost of $38,780 for a total contract cost of $77,560. Under the deal, the city will buy more than 40 license plate readers, 17 cameras, two drones and two gunshot detectors, along with additional supporting technology. The resolutions cover audio detection, live video cameras, drone services and license plate recognition as part of an integrated public safety network.
Opposition centered less on the hardware itself than on the contract’s data provisions. Councilwoman Rumbaugh said her review of the agreement, which she put at over 100 pages, found language granting Flock broad rights over data generated by the system.
Flock’s National Footprint And Market Position
Founded in 2017 and based in Atlanta, Flock Safety has grown into one of the largest providers of automated license plate recognition, video surveillance and gunfire detection systems for law enforcement agencies in the country. As of 2025, the company said it operated in over 5,000 communities across 49 U.S. states and performed more than 20 billion vehicle scans nationwide every month. The company has also drawn sustained criticism from civil liberties groups, and Kurrant reported that Flock has faced pushback from privacy advocates including the American Civil Liberties Union even as its footprint expanded to nearly 5,000 law enforcement agencies and roughly 1,000 businesses, with the company reportedly weighing a future public listing.
Part Of A Wider Pattern Of Local Fights Over Flock
Huntington’s contentious vote mirrors a pattern playing out in municipalities of varying sizes across the country as councils weigh public safety gains against surveillance and data-retention concerns. Kurrant has tracked similar disputes, including a California city’s move to test the technology on a limited basis rather than commit to a full rollout, as covered in its report on Imperial Beach’s two-month sheriff pilot of Flock Safety ALPR cameras. Huntington’s five-year commitment stands in contrast to that more limited pilot approach, underscoring the range of contractual strategies cities are using to manage risk with the vendor.
