Flock Safety Cancels Audio 'Distress Detection' Pilot After Civil Liberties Backlash
Flock Safety cancelled a pilot program that used AI audio detection to identify sounds of human distress and automatically alert police, after sustained pressure from civil liberties groups. The feature was tested for nine months with concerns that it could enable unwarranted law enforcement responses to innocent public sounds, though the underlying microphone network remains operational.
What happened
In October 2025, Flock Safety added a Distress Detection software classifier to its Audio Detection system, designed to flag sounds of human distress and automatically alert law enforcement.
The feature was tested for nine months as a limited pilot in select areas. Early marketing materials showed police alerts labeled 'screaming,' which the company later changed to the vaguer term 'distress.'
After sustained pressure from the Electronic Frontier Foundation and civil liberties advocates, Flock announced in July 2026 that it was removing the Distress Detection feature.
Reported impact
Civil liberties groups raised concerns that law enforcement could use the program as a pretense to swarm any community on a whim, as routine sounds like a tenant disputing a lease with a raised voice could have triggered an armed police response.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation noted that Flock still has thousands of audio devices installed in communities throughout the US, where they often appear without warning at the behest of local law enforcement.
Index analysis
Flock quietly added the screaming detection software via update, bypassing city approval processes.
In Champaign's Raven pilot, only 8% of alerts led to confirmed shooting scenes.
Governance controls
Flock stated it removed the feature 'after careful consideration and community consultation.'
The company continues to operate high-powered microphones mounted on poles throughout cities.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.