OKLAHOMA CITY—The Oklahoma City Council voted 5–3 to renew a $270,000 contract with Flock Safety, keeping 90 automated license plate-reading cameras operating across the city.
Mayor David Holt and Councilmembers Katrina Avers, Bradley Carter, Todd Stone and Matthew Hinkle supported the renewal. Councilmembers James Cooper, JoBeth Hamon and Camal Pennington voted against it. Councilmember Mark Stonecipher was absent.
The one-year agreement runs through June 30, 2027, according to contemporaneous reporting on the Aug. 18 vote.
The council approved the contract after months of opposition from residents and privacy advocates. Critics warned that the cameras collect information about drivers who are not suspected of crimes.
Nearly 30 residents and activists reportedly addressed the council before the vote. None spoke in support of renewing the contract.
The Oklahoma City Police Department says the cameras help officers find stolen vehicles, investigate crimes and locate missing people. However, two separate cases involving police misuse have intensified concerns about oversight.
Oklahoma City adds limits to Flock camera use
Police Chief Ron Bacy announced several changes intended to limit how officers use and share information collected by the cameras.
The department plans to reduce its standard data-retention period from 30 days to seven. Police may preserve information longer when they consider it evidence in an investigation.
The department also plans to leave Flock’s nationwide database and limit information sharing to approved agencies. Searches must include a stated reason and will be logged under individual users.
The proposed rules also prohibit searches related to immigration enforcement or reproductive health. The ACLU of Oklahoma called the restrictions a step forward but warned that rules alone cannot prevent misuse.
“We applaud the council for hearing the concerns of many residents and including new guardrails to prevent inappropriate access and use; to limit nationwide sharing of data; and to reduce the retention period to seven days,” ACLU of Oklahoma Executive Director Tamya Cox-Touré said in a statement.
“These are good first steps but still must be overseen,” she continued. “This technology is easily abused.”
Police disclosed two Flock misuse cases
During the Aug. 18 meeting, Bacy disclosed two separate cases involving Oklahoma City police officers’ use of Flock technology.
In one case, an internal audit found that a police sergeant accessed the system for personal reasons between December 2024 and April 2025.
Several outlets identified the officer as Sgt. Keenan Heskett. The department issued him a Class 3 reprimand, suspended him for three days without pay and placed him on disciplinary probation for one year.
In the second case, the department investigated a complaint alleging that an officer’s Flock use infringed upon someone’s rights. Police said the investigation found sufficient evidence of misconduct and that the officer received “corrective action.”
The department has not identified that officer or disclosed the nature of the corrective action, according to KOKH reporting.
The two cases raise questions about whether search logs and internal audits can deter improper access or merely identify it after the fact. It also remains unclear whether the department will publicly report future violations.
