Flock reportedly tries to shrink workforce with employee buyouts
Surveillance technology company Flock Safety has offered voluntary buyout packages to a significant portion of its 1,500-person workforce to reduce headcount. The move follows intense public backlash and legal scrutiny regarding the misuse of its license plate recognition technology by law enforcement. By facilitating voluntary departures, the company aims to avoid mandatory layoffs while addressing internal morale issues caused by the controversy.
- ▪Flock Safety announced a voluntary severance package for employees, expecting a majority of interested staff to accept the offer.
- ▪The Washington Post reported 46 cases of police officers misusing Flock's technology to stalk partners or ex-partners.
- ▪Florida and Texas have announced they will stop using Flock's technology, and 90 cities dropped the service in August alone.
- ▪CEO Garrett Langley stated that the primary damage from the backlash has been to internal employee morale.
- ▪Without the buyout program, Flock indicated it would almost certainly have to conduct involuntary layoffs.
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| Canonical URL | https://techcrunch.com/2026/09/19/flock-reportedly-tries-to-shrink-workforce-with-employee-buyouts/ |
| Publication time | Sat, 19 Sep 2026 20:39:13 +0000 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-09-19T20:43:47.108Z |
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In Brief Posted: 1:39 PM PDT · September 19, 2026 Image Credits:Anthony Ha / TechCrunch Anthony Ha Flock reportedly tries to shrink workforce with employee buyouts Embattled surveillance technology company Flock Safety unveiled a “generous” severance package for voluntary employee departures on Friday, according to a report in Wired. Flock reportedly expects a significant portion of its 1,500-person workforce to express interest in the buyouts, and said it will grant them to a majority of those who are interested. The company’s internal announcement described these packages as the “most generous” it has ever offered. By letting employees depart voluntarily, Flock can say goodbye to team members demoralized by the ongoing backlash over the company’s license plate recognition technology.
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