OpenSecrets: Half of States Don't Disclose Flock's Lobbying Spend

OpenSecrets' Joedy McCreary discusses new research showing Flock Safety has spent at least $2 million lobbying Congress and state legislatures since January 2025, as nearly 80 Washington state cities and jurisdictions reconsider their contracts with the license plate camera company amid a wave of vandalism targeting the devices. McCreary says Flock spent about $1.3 million lobbying at the federal level and roughly $1 million across state houses between January 2025 and June 2026, though that figure is likely an undercount since only about half of the roughly two-thirds of states where Flock has hired lobbyists require disclosure of spending amounts. He says California, Massachusetts and New York saw the largest state-level lobbying totals, each exceeding $100,000 over the 18-month period, with California's total reaching $180,000. McCreary notes Flock has employed lobbyists with government backgrounds, including Alabama's former secretary of state — though Alabama's reporting requirements mean the actual dollar amount spent there is unknown — and a former communications director for President Trump's 2016 transition team at the federal level. He says OpenSecrets found only one political contribution tied to Flock leadership, a donation from the company's CEO to Senator Jon Ossoff's leadership PAC, and that Flock does not operate a corporate PAC. Nationally, Flock serves more than 5,000 law enforcement agencies across 49 states and reached an $8.4 billion valuation in April, with more than $300 million in annual recurring revenue.