Flock Safety, the vehicle surveillance giant, has developed a powerful new AI tool for law enforcement that enables the identification and tracking of individuals. Despite years of public claims that its technology "cannot recognize, identify, or track individuals," the OS Investigate system (formerly Nightshift) is designed to do exactly that.
Capabilities Beyond Plate Reading
According to code reconstructed by WIRED from Flock’s own website, the tool can identify potential witnesses based on how often their cars pass through a neighborhood or surface a driver’s "associates" by identifying vehicles that travel together. The system integrates police case files, arrest records, 911 dispatch logs, and commercial identity records containing Social Security numbers, dates of birth, and contact information.
- 69 pre-written prompts are available for officers to select or edit.
- Search capabilities based on physical descriptions (e.g., "male, ~6ft, black hoodie").
- Automated "workups" that generate background dossiers on individuals.
Privacy and Constitutional Concerns
Privacy experts and the ACLU warn that the tool shifts surveillance from finding known suspect vehicles to casting suspicion on drivers based on movement patterns. Jay Stanley of the ACLU compared the aggressive deployment to surveillance practices in China, noting the lack of space between what can be done and what is being done. Flock maintains that the product is in a testing phase with a small group of partners and that its workflows may change significantly before a broader release.
The company, valued at $7.5 billion, faces ongoing scrutiny over officer misuse. Previous reports have documented cases where the technology was used to track ex-partners or protesters, raising questions about the lack of strict safeguards in the software's interface.
