Flock Safety Accessed Cameras in Dunwoody Children's Gymnastics Room, Playground as Sales Demos; City Renewed Contract

Residents of Dunwoody, Georgia, an Atlanta suburb, have learned that Flock Safety sales employees repeatedly accessed the city's surveillance cameras—including feeds from a children's gymnastics room, playgrounds, a school, a Jewish community center, and a pool—as part of demonstrations pitched to police departments across the country. The access came to light after Dunwoody resident Jason Hunyar obtained Flock access logs through a public records request and published his findings in a blog post titled "Why Are Flock Employees Watching Our Children?" The logs document the dates and locations of the accessed cameras, establishing a pattern of use that extended well beyond routine system maintenance or municipal oversight.

Flock Safety has confirmed that the camera access did occur during sales demonstrations but has disputed how residents and activists have characterized the practice. The company has defended its actions through social media statements, a company blog post, and remarks at Dunwoody city council meetings. Flock described Dunwoody as a "demo partner" and argued the access was a standard part of showing prospective police clients how the technology functions in real-world municipal settings. Hunyar's documentation, however, raises questions about consent, transparency, and whether the city's vendor agreements contemplated third-party commercial use of sensitive surveillance feeds—particularly those capturing minors in recreational facilities.

Despite the disclosure, Dunwoody officials renewed the Flock contract, a decision that has drawn criticism from privacy advocates and some residents who argue that the city failed to adequately safeguard public infrastructure and the populations captured by those cameras. The incident intensifies scrutiny of surveillance vendors' data governance practices and whether municipal contracts provide sufficient guardrails against commercial exploitation of feeds that include children and community members in sensitive spaces. The Dunwoody case signals broader pressure on local governments to audit third-party access to their camera networks and establish clearer boundaries before extending partnerships with for-profit surveillance firms.