City spending on Flock Safety cameras multiplies within five years

WIRED reviewed contracts from more than two dozen US cities and found Flock Safety bills routinely triple or quadruple within five years. Alpharetta, Georgia paid $17,680 in 2020 and $381,000 by 2025. Multiyear price-lock deals and integrated networks make switching vendors hard.

• Alpharetta: $17,680 in 2020 versus $381,000 in 2025
• Covington: from $40,000 for 20 cameras in 2020 to $201,000 by August 2026
• License-plate readers cost $3,000–5,200 a year; drones $50,000–150,000
• Camera replacement costs $800, and Flock retains hardware ownership