Flock Safety Offers Employee Buyouts as Contract Losses and Backlash Mount
Flock Safety’s voluntary buyout is open through Oct. 2 as contract losses and privacy backlash mount around its roughly 1,500-person workforce. The package reportedly includes tens of thousands in severance, health coverage and two years to exercise stock options.
Flock Safety announced a voluntary employee separation program in September 2026, offering severance packages to workers who choose to leave as the license plate reader company faces mounting customer cancellations and public backlash over privacy concerns.
Applications for the program opened Friday, September 19, with employees having until October 2 to decide whether to accept. Flock expects to grant buyouts to the majority of applicants, and people familiar with the program — who were not authorized to speak publicly — believe a significant number of the company’s roughly 1,500 employees may apply. Accepted employees would be notified on October 9, with most departures set for October 29, though some workers may be asked to remain an additional one to three months.
The severance package includes payments reported to be in the tens of thousands of dollars, several months of health care coverage, and the ability to exercise stock options within two years of separation — longer than the company typically allows for resigning employees. Flock described the package internally as the “most generous” it has ever offered, roughly double its previous severance terms.
The program comes as Flock has lost numerous municipal contracts this year amid growing concerns about privacy and alleged misuse of its surveillance network. WIRED has reported on officers allegedly using Flock to track former romantic partners and colleagues, questions about how widely agencies share system access, and details about how much data the cameras collect. A wave of vandalism targeting Flock cameras has also increased company expenses unexpectedly.
Founded in 2017, Flock raised approximately $1.2 billion in venture capital and was valued at more than $8 billion in a funding round that closed in April 2026. People familiar with the situation say contract losses could leave the company short of revenue goals, and without the buyout program, layoffs would likely have been necessary. Some insiders have speculated the company may consider selling parts or all of its business.
Flock CEO Garrett Langley said last month on the All-In podcast that the “biggest damage” from the backlash had been to “internal morale.” Flock did not respond to requests for comment on the severance program.