Flock cameras recently tracked my movements for a few days in Plymouth, MN, leading to my wife and I being surrounded by authorities who believed I had committed grand theft auto. I was innocent. Currently, there are just 18 Flock cameras in Plymouth, but what about the future?
Flock Safety’s Founder and CEO Garrett Langley participated in an exclusive interview on The Drivecast to share insights about Flock’s current position as a company, its future prospects, and his vision for what lies ahead. Will we see a Flock camera on every street corner and within every school?
Listen to the full discussion starting at the point when Langley talks about Flock’s future below.
Before revealing his vision for Flock and the future trajectory, Garrett provided context regarding his personal commitment to this vision. “Like you, I’m a father of three children. My main goal as a dad is to ensure their safety. They must be secure. Next, I have to ensure they receive an education and grow up to be good citizens—productive members of society. However, without safety, everything else begins to break down. I believe this is true for many kids. The feeling of unsafety leads to societal decay.”
Garrett then discussed the current state of Flock using San Francisco as a case study. “What we’ve observed is that, in areas like San Francisco, four years ago, committing a crime was relatively easy. Then, two or three years ago, Mayor Breed and Mayor Lurie stated, ‘Flock, we need assistance. Being a criminal is too easy, our businesses are leaving, and our residents are departing. This is not sustainable for us.’”
According to Garrett, the outcome of that situation was, “We deployed hundreds of license plate readers, we launched our drones, and we implemented our real-time crime center software to enhance officer efficiency. Now, it’s one of the safest cities in the United States. Mayor Lurie enjoys one of the highest approval ratings among major city mayors—he may actually hold the highest, as far as I last checked.”
Regarding the future of society and Garrett’s vision of Flock’s role? “To me, the future is one where more cities resemble San Francisco, where committing crimes becomes exceptionally difficult—so difficult that individuals simply opt not to engage in them. That may seem like a far-off dream, but it’s taking shape in San Francisco. I believe we will replicate this in Oakland. We’re currently in 7,000 cities, and I aspire to reach all 17,000 cities across America to create that future, because it’s achievable. Whatever technology we must develop to aid that goal while preserving our local societal values is our plan. That may sound ambitious, but I proposed it a decade ago, and it’s now truly occurring on a larger scale. It’s an exhilarating time.”
Whether that vision materializes remains to be seen.
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