Flock Safety Navigates Public Backlash and Executive Shifts as It Scales Hardware and Drone Operations

Flock Safety is confronting rising public scrutiny, municipal contract terminations, and executive turnover even as it continues expanding its hardware manufacturing and drone platforms. According to WXYZ Channel 7, the Oakland County Sheriff's Office in Michigan ended its trial for Flock Safety's Drone as First Responder program, opting not to pursue a proposed $2.5 million contract following local privacy protests and an investigation into a former deputy accused of accessing the database without authorization. The Oakland County Parks Department also chose not to renew its license plate reader contract, joining municipal boards in Florida, Texas, and Minnesota that have voted to disconnect or remove the company's equipment.

In addition to customer pushback, DroneXL reported that Rahul Sidhu, head of Flock Safety's drone division, left the company to join venture firm Andreessen Horowitz two years after Flock acquired his drone startup Aerodome in a deal valued at over $300 million.

Automated Surveillance Infrastructure and Custom Hardware

Founded in 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia, Flock Safety develops hardware and software systems designed to capture objective vehicle details and license plate numbers in real time. Its main software stack utilizes TypeScript with Node.js, React, Go, PostgreSQL, Elasticsearch, and DynamoDB hosted on AWS using Docker and Kubernetes. Camera firmware runs on embedded Android on custom printed circuit boards designed in-house, while machine learning systems run on PyTorch, TensorFlow, TF Serving, and computer vision models.

To manufacture its solar-powered cameras and uncrewed aerial systems, Cobb County announced that Flock Safety opened a 97,000-square-foot facility in Smyrna, Georgia. The $10 million investment supports device refurbishing, solar panel assembly, and production of made-in-America, NDAA-compliant drones.

Leadership and Policy Positioning

Flock Safety is led by founder and CEO Garrett Langley, who holds a degree in electrical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and previously co-founded Experience LLC. Facing growing debate over civilian surveillance, Langley defended the technology in an interview with Fox News, stating that "what we have to prioritize as a country is compromise" and calling for state regulators to establish auditing rules and data retention standards rather than banning devices.

Speaking with ABC7 Los Angeles after the Los Angeles Police Department paused its camera usage over data-sharing concerns, Langley noted that the systems capture static images of vehicles without utilizing facial recognition technology.

Hiring Focus Across Operations, Aerospace, and Policy

Flock Safety currently lists 24 open roles, reflecting an operational emphasis on field installation, production logistics, uncrewed aviation engineering, and public policy communications.

Field deployment and maintenance account for the largest share of open positions. The company is recruiting specialists across multiple states, including a Field Technician - Kansas City, MO ($55,000–$65,000/year), a Field Technician - Indianapolis, IN ($55,000–$65,000/year), and a remote Field Deployment Specialist ($60,000–$80,000/year) based in Atlanta. Regional electrical support includes roles such as a Journeyman Electrician ($64,000–$88,000/year) in Seattle.

To support drone engineering and flight testing, Flock Safety is hiring a Senior UAS Flight Test Engineer ($105,000–$150,000/year) and a UAS Support Engineer ($100,000–$140,000/year) in Atlanta. Policy strategy and regulatory communications are led by roles including a remote Director of Policy Communications ($182,300–$243,000/year) based in Washington D.C.

Open Roles at Flock Safety

See all open roles at Flock Safety