Flock Safety Refuses College Request to Remove Cameras

Elgin Community College in Illinois found itself locked in an unusual dispute with surveillance vendor Flock Safety after attempting to cancel its contract over privacy and data-sharing concerns, according to reporting by The Verge.

The institution initially installed six Flock safety cameras in April 2025 with the intention of enhancing campus security. However, by September 2025, college administrators grew concerned over the vendor's practices. Officials raised issues regarding potential data sharing with Customs and Border Patrol, unsecure camera feeds, and alleged access abuse by both law enforcement personnel and Flock employees.

Elgin Community College President Peggy Heinrich stated that the school requested Flock remove the cameras in October 2025. Flock denied the request, maintaining that it had not breached its agreement. As reported by the Chicago Sun-Times, college officials tried again in December 2025, offering to pay out the remaining five months of the contract if the cameras were taken down. Flock did not respond to the offer.

In response, college staff began wrapping the cameras in black trash bags secured with zip ties to block the lenses from capturing footage. According to Heinrich, workers in an unmarked vehicle—whom she assumed were from Flock—repeatedly removed the bags. School staff repeatedly recovered them, resulting in a back-and-forth cycle that lasted until the contract expired in April 2026, at which point Flock removed the equipment.

Why It Matters

The conflict underscores potential friction between educational institutions and automated surveillance providers regarding control over physical hardware and data privacy. When public institutions attempt to end technology vendor relationships early, contractual terms may limit their ability to turn off or remove unwanted equipment. Additionally, concerns around third-party data access could prompt colleges and municipal entities to scrutinize contract cancellation terms and data-sharing policies more closely before deploying automated license plate readers and security cameras.