Flock Safety has discontinued its acoustic gunshot detection system, which had drawn criticism from privacy advocates for its advertised ability to detect "human distress." The company quietly announced on July 10 that it would "remove" the product, according to a blog post.
The system, which was designed to identify potential violent incidents in areas lacking other public safety tools, was only available to a small number of customers as part of a limited trial and was never broadly released. Flock Safety stated that the decision was made following "community consultation."
The company, primarily known for its automated license plate reader (ALPR) technology, emphasized that the acoustic system was not designed for bulk voice capture. Flock Safety clarified in its blog post that the system "cannot understand speech, analyze language, or identify voices," and that it never had this capability.
The "Distress Detection" feature first drew significant scrutiny in October 2025 after the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a nonprofit organization, reported on its existence. The EFF raised concerns about the civil liberties implications of the system, including the potential for it to dispatch armed police to any loud interaction in public spaces. The organization also highlighted that such surveillance could violate state eavesdropping laws in various jurisdictions.
Earlier in the month, Flock Safety was also in the news when the Los Angeles Police Department announced it would terminate its contract with the surveillance firm. The LAPD cited a desire for enhanced protections regarding the management and storage of information collected by Flock Safety's systems as the reason for its decision.
