Flock Safety hits $8.4B valuation as AI-powered police tech sparks nationwide protests

Flock Safety is growing fast. The backlash against it is growing just as quickly. The Atlanta-based police tech startup has reached an $8.4 billion valuation following a recent funding round, according to a publicly filed corporate charter and people familiar with the deal. The bump from its $7.5 billion valuation in March 2025 is relatively modest on paper. The timing tells a bigger story.

Flock closed the round as protests spread across its home city and beyond, putting its technology at the center of a widening national debate over surveillance, privacy, and the role of private companies in policing.

“Flock Safety, which sells cameras, drones and AI software to police departments, was valued at $8.4 billion in a new round of funding completed in recent weeks, a modest bump from its financing last year,” The Information reported, citing a publicly filed corporate charter and people familiar with the round.

The news comes a year after the police tech startup raised $275 million from Andreessen Horowitz to expand its drone manufacturing and crime-fighting technology.

Founded in 2017 by Garrett Langley, Matt Feury, and Paige Todd, Flock Safety sells cameras and software used by law enforcement agencies and businesses to track and investigate crime. Its products include automated license plate readers, gunshot detection systems, AI-powered cameras, and drone-based response tools. The company has expanded into software for real-time crime centers, positioning itself as a full-stack platform for modern policing.

Police Tech Startup Flock Safety Raises Funding at $8.4B as Its AI Cameras and Police Tech Face Growing Protests

Adoption has been swift. Flock says its systems have helped clear more than a million incidents nationwide. The company now generates more than $300 million in annual recurring revenue and has raised close to $1 billion in total funding, backed by investors including Andreessen Horowitz.

At the same time, the company’s rise has triggered a wave of resistance.

In recent weeks, protests have taken shape in Atlanta and on college campuses, where critics argue Flock’s expanding network of cameras and data tools amounts to a new layer of mass surveillance. Demonstrators planned a rally outside the company’s headquarters on Howell Mill Road under the banner “Flock and ICE Out of ATL,” led by advocacy groups including Fight for the Future. Their message is direct. They see Flock’s system as an interconnected surveillance grid linking neighborhoods, businesses, and law enforcement agencies.

“This is about rejecting surveillance as a model for public safety,” said Reem Suleiman, a campaign director.

The protests have reached universities as well. On April 10, 2026, the DeFlock Emory Coalition organized a walkout and march at Emory University. Around 80 participants delivered a petition signed by nearly 1,000 students and faculty calling for the removal of Flock cameras from campus and a broader review of surveillance policies.

Organizers raised concerns that data collected by AI-powered cameras could be accessed by federal agencies such as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement without warrants. “We cannot accept any assurances at face value that there is some barrier between ICE and the police,” one participant said during the demonstration.

The concerns are not limited to a single city. Research from the Electronic Frontier Foundation found that law enforcement agencies have used Flock’s network for hundreds of searches tied to protest activity, including demonstrations connected to the 50501 movement and anti-Trump events. In more than 30 cities, officials have moved to cancel or reconsider contracts, citing pressure from residents and declining public trust.

Flock Safety disputes the claims at the center of the protests.

The company says it does not have direct contracts with federal immigration agencies and focuses on serving local police departments. A spokesperson told CBS News Atlanta that claims of collaboration with ICE are “simply not true.” Flock points to built-in safeguards, including 30-day data retention limits, audit logs, role-based access controls, and geofencing. It says most data is never accessed and is automatically deleted.

In a recent blog post, the company argued that contract cancellations are driven more by political framing and public perception than by how the technology is used in practice. It described reports of protest-related searches as “isolated cases” across a much larger dataset of activity. Flock has added measures such as default-off federal data sharing and restrictions on certain immigration-related queries where required by law. “We certainly believe that you can have both’ public safety and privacy, the spokesperson said.

Emory University has taken a similar position, saying its cameras are operated only by sworn campus police and are used for specific investigations such as threats or trespassing. The university said it does not share footage with federal agencies without a warrant or court order.

That tension is now baked into Flock’s growth story.

Some cities continue to expand their use of the platform, pointing to faster investigations and measurable results. Others are stepping back, caught between public pressure and the promise of more effective policing. For now, investors are still leaning in. The company’s valuation has climbed from $4.8 billion in 2024 to $7.5 billion in 2025 and now to $8.4 billion.

Flock Safety sits between two forces moving in opposite directions. Demand for tools that help solve crime is rising. So is resistance to systems that track people at scale.

This funding round shows the market still believes in the first. The protests suggest the second is not going away anytime soon.

Flock’s AI-powered surveillance systems are used by more than 4,800 law enforcement agencies and nearly 1,000 businesses, including major retailers and healthcare systems. Enterprise clients account for about 30% of its revenue.