Flock Has A New Competitor In Oklahoma

We’ve spent a fair amount of time talking about license plate cameras in Oklahoma, and for good reason.

They’ve been popping up all over the place, quietly snapping pictures of the cars driving past and turning those license plates, vehicle colors, makes, models, and other identifying details into a giant searchable database for law enforcement to access at will.

Flock has become the main name in that conversation. It’s also become a pretty controversial one, with communities around the country questioning how much information these cameras collect, who gets access to it, and how long that information sticks around.

More than 50 jurisdictions have now dropped Flock contracts, and the company recently announced changes to its system after a growing pile of criticism over privacy and misuse.

So here's something I didn’t really expect when we started talking about all of this.

Flock has some competition coming from a company Oklahoma already knows pretty well... Axon.

Axon Is Already Deeply Involved In Oklahoma Law Enforcement

You might know the name because Axon has been supplying law enforcement with technology for years. They’re the company behind the Taser, along with body cameras, in-car cameras, digital evidence systems, and a whole bunch of other police technology already deeply involved in Oklahoma.

Oklahoma City Police Department, for example, uses Axon Records to tie together reports, digital evidence and case management. The department also has an Axon drone program that feeds information into the same broader Axon system. In other words, Axon doesn't have to walk into an Oklahoma police department and introduce itself. They’re already here.

Now they're adding something new to the menu.

License plate cameras.

Axon Is Now Making Flock-Style License Plate Cameras

Axon introduced two fixed ALPR cameras called Outpost and Lightpost. Outpost is a standalone camera that can read license plates, recognize vehicle characteristics, and provide livestream video. Lightpost takes basically the same idea and puts it on existing streetlights, meaning a community can add the technology without putting up an entirely new pole.

Sound familiar?

That's because we're suddenly talking about the same general neighborhood where Flock has been living. And Axon isn't treating these cameras like some random side product. The company has built them into a larger system called Fusus, where police can search information from fixed cameras, mobile cameras, and other connected camera systems in one place.

Cut the head off one and two more shall take its place.

Some Cities Are Replacing Flock With Axon

Across the country, some communities that have decided they've had enough of Flock aren't getting rid of license plate readers altogether. They're changing companies.

Longmont, Colorado, Denver, and Syracuse are among the communities that have already moved or are planning to move from Flock to Axon. The Guardian reported in August that Axon had already positioned itself to replace Flock in at least seven municipalities across five states to appease the people calling foul. Only instead of getting rid of the technology, it's being rebranded.

And the cameras aren't exactly a tiny step away from what Flock is doing. Axon says its Outpost system can capture multiple lanes at highway speeds, recognize vehicles by characteristics such as make, model and color, and send that information into its larger network. Lightpost can be installed on existing streetlights in less than an hour.

Which means the conversation is now getting bigger than Flock.

That's the clock that's ticking in Oklahoma. Because we've spent so much time looking at who has Flock cameras, where they're being installed, and what police departments can do with the information, we've really only focused in on one company.

Axon is already here. Oklahoma law enforcement already uses its technology, and now the company has its own version of the roadside camera system the whole country has been talking about.

So if Oklahoma agencies decide to add more cameras, replace some of the Flock cameras they already have, or simply start looking for another ALPR provider, Axon is on the table.