Flock Safety cameras used in Brown University shooting investigation raise privacy concerns
Flock Safety's license plate reader cameras were used by Providence Police to help locate the suspect in the Brown University shooting. The deployment has raised concerns about privacy, with some jurisdictions cancelling contracts with the company due to surveillance risks.
What happened
Flock Safety cameras and technology were used by Providence Police to locate the suspect in the Brown University shooting on December 13, 2025, which resulted in two student deaths and nine injuries.
The suspect, identified as 48-year-old former Brown graduate student Claudio Neves Valente, was found dead in Salem, New Hampshire on December 19, 2025.
Reported impact
The use of Flock Safety surveillance technology in the investigation has raised privacy concerns, with some jurisdictions having cancelled contracts with the company.
Index analysis
Flock Safety expanded from manufacturing cameras for reading license plates to building drones for law enforcement.
Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langley stated that the technology helped locate the suspect and emphasized the importance of the technology for law enforcement, despite growing privacy concerns.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.