Flock Safety CEO Caught on Leaked Audio Claiming Backlash Against Surveillance Is Fake

Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langley lashed out at critics of his company’s automated license plate reader cameras, claiming that backlash is an illusion and that critics are just online bots.

404 Media obtained an audio recording of a speech Langley gave at the International Association of Chiefs of Police conference in Orlando, Florida. "It's anonymous bots, and so it is not real," Langley said.

The comments came during a fireside chat with David Rausch, the IACP's president and director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

From 404 Media:

Garrett Langley, the CEO of automatic license plate reader company Flock, told an audience of police chiefs at a private police conference Sunday that anti-Flock protests around the country are not real, according to leaked audio obtained by 404 Media.

He also said his wife advised him to never apologize, said he would prefer to never do interviews with the press again, and claimed without evidence that the social media opposition to Flock is driven mostly by Russian bots.

“Somebody was paying for [the social media posts and] stopped paying for it,” Langley said about the many viral posts criticizing his company’s technology. “Social media chatter on Flock is down about 95 percent from July. It went down 50 percent last week when Ukraine bombed a Russian data center with a drone. Literally 50 percent overnight. And so look, I’m the last person, my wife as well, she’s like ‘This is crazy, these people are getting paid to say these things,’” he added, repeating a disproven theory that Ukraine’s strikes on Russian data centers had a significant impact on internet bot activity. 

“It’s anonymous bots, and so it is not real,” he continued. “Inorganic activity has led to organic activity, but when I look at protests across the country, it is the same people with the same signs and the same message. That’s not normal. That’s not organic at all.” Langley’s comments echo another unsubstantiated theory that said opposition to Flock comes from a far-left network spreading propaganda at the behest of China.

Langley made the comments at the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) conference, which is running Saturday to Tuesday in Orlando, Florida. Many law enforcement contractors exhibit at the conference, and speakers get to attend with more than 16,000 public safety officials.

Listen to the leaked Flock CEO audio we got from a private police conference: https://t.co/0cwVeoT0xE https://t.co/O03vZnQNl9

— Joseph Cox (@josephfcox) October 26, 2026

Flock Safety operates one of the largest license plate reader networks in the country. Many law enforcement agencies have access to this network, which includes footage from about 80,000 cameras nationwide. However, a growing number of cities have canceled their Flock contracts over the past 18 months. 

During the conversation, Langley made the dubious claims that “Social media chatter on Flock is down about 95 percent from July” and that the traffic dropped 50 percent “when Ukraine bombed a Russian data center with a drone.”

Of course, the CEO provided no evidence to support his claim. He also claimed the widespread backlash against the cameras is not organic. “When I look at protests across the country, it is the same signs and the same message,” he said. “That’s not normal. That’s not organic at all.”

Basically, Langley seems to believe that making unfounded allegations about his company’s critics will make the problem go away. So far, that hasn’t been the case. 

The issue has become one of the top subjects of discussion on the national stage, with many raising concerns about how law enforcement has and will continue to abuse the surveillance network.

People have also blocked or even taken down cameras in their neighborhoods.

It’s also worth noting the impact of the opposition to Flock’s surveillance cameras. The company was forced to lay off 270 employees earlier this month as Americans pressure their state and local governments to cut ties with the company.

Editor's Note: Do you enjoy Townhall's conservative reporting exposing the radical left and woke media? Support our work so we can keep bringing you the truth.

Join Townhall VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.