In Michigan, last month alone, 53 missing people were detected with @flocksafety. Grandparents who lost their way. Kids who were abducted or missing. Yesterday in Fraser, Flock helped locate the suspect in a fatal hit-and-run that killed a female motorcyclist. I sat down with @laurenkostiuk_ and @Local4News to talk about how we’re helping first responders in these cases while also strengthening privacy protections.

It was great to be in Metro Detroit, meeting with local leaders and chiefs and hearing directly about the issues that matter to this community. Thanks to Kevin Dietz and @WJRRadio for the time and conversation about public safety, technology and Flock.

I've learned a lot in nine years of building @Flock_Safety. Some of it from our customers, and some of it from the communities they serve. Today we’re announcing the changes that came from listening. A new standard for privacy, security, and accountability in public safety technology. We're also asking state legislators to go further. Mandate real auditing on every law enforcement data system. Raise the penalties for misuse. And if your state wants help building it, we'll do it for free.

Yesterday, Flock cameras alerted on 4,144 sex offenders, 2,151 stolen cars, 1,687 wanted people, 158 missing persons/kids, and most importantly, an amber alert. Children were rescued in Dothan AL, Charlotte NC, North Kingstown RI, and more. This is every day. See some of the news stories below:

Really cool to meet @theguardrailguy today. Very few people out there who dedicate their lives to such a noble cause. True American hero. And he’s right. We have kicked off a nationwide safety audit for all our poles, starting with Tennessee, where we fixed 16 separate installations. Will share more on this soon.

@RepRashida Congresswoman - Flock does not have contracts with ICE or CBP. Neighborhoods chose to partner with Flock to stay safe. Today, in America, safety is too correlated with wealth. I think we can both agree that safety should be equal for everyone, not just the affluent.

"I was speaking to a grandmother in rural Tennessee, and she was taking care of her eleven-year-old granddaughter. So she wakes up, she walks into her room, the bed's empty." " Detective arrives, no sign of force. There's nothing, except one thing that he remembers. There's a Flock camera just down the street. So he pulls out his phone and runs a search for the night and finds one car. He runs that tag, and it's his worst nightmare. It's a registered sex offender. So he logs into Flock, and he's looking for this car, and he sees the car is traveling down I-75." "The person's on the highway. The detective doesn't know what to do, so he does what every hero does, is he moves into action. He jumps in his car and races down I-75. As he approaches the interstate line, he sees the vehicle." "A violent struggles ensues, and at the end, he hears crying. And the girl's in the back. She's bound, but she's alive. They went on to go search the suspect's house, and the nightmare got scarier. Everything one would need to not only assault, but dispose of the body was there." "Now that girl's alive today because the detective had two things: He had a license plate, and he had direction of travel. This, for me, is one of thousands of stories I sadly hear about every day in America. I started Flock nine years ago because of this exact type of problem." @glangley at @TEDTalks

How do you keep a city safe? In this TED Talk, @flock_safety founder @glangley shares how his company's network of cameras, drones and license plate readers is changing how US police departments investigate crime:

A DFR program is only as reliable as its connection. A drone that drops a signal over a pursuit, a structure fire, or an active threat scene doesn't just fail; it's a potential disaster. It vanishes when it's needed most. Alpha was engineered with 4 cellular modems and 15 antennas to fly reliably at 400 feet with expanded range across a community. We continually test these capabilities in an anechoic chamber. Watch the full test now and see Alpha support the mission.

Last night, a 3-month-old baby was kidnapped from his home. A Flock LPR detected the suspect's vehicle and officers recovered the baby unharmed before the Amber Alert could go out. Police said if it were not for Flock, this could have ended very differently. Know the full story.

If Flock accuses me of a crime, will Flock also show up in court? Someone asked me that recently. Flock doesn't accuse a suspect. It provides objective data. Investigators use a myriad of evidence, from witness testimony to physical forensics. In San Juan Bautista, a two-year-old was killed. His mother fought off the attacker. The suspect fled, thinking he escaped. A @Flock_Safety LPR found his vehicle heading into neighboring Merced County, where law enforcement arrested him. That evidence, specific, verifiable, one piece of a wider timeline, is exactly what will show up in court later this month.

70% of crime involves a vehicle. A license plate read in public helps return thousands of missing people to their families every year. Yesterday, a 45-year-old abducted a 3-month-old. With @Flock_Safety's support, the infant was found by Merrillville Police and Marshall County authorities.

Flock camera + drone catches murder suspect yesterday. Our hearts go out to Amber's family. If someone finds a GoFundMe for this family, please let me know so I can donate and share.

Yesterday, 12 shootings reported across Austin led to a manhunt that involved 200 officers including SWAT, air and canine support over several hours. The suspects were found and arrested as they entered Flock-supported Manor. If @Flock_Safety wasn’t able to aid Manor PD and Austin PD in this case, how many more could have been harmed? 50% of murders to walk free in America. Privacy in public is an ill-informed position if it allows an active shooter several hours to escape and harm more and actively ignores public safety results where Flock is present. Austin ended its contract with Flock. Its homicide rate is +36% its pre-pandemic baseline, per the Council on Criminal Justice. That doesn’t just put the people of Austin at risk. I’m glad we could help stop the spread of this kind of senseless violence before it affected neighboring communities like Manor. When Austin is ready to prioritize safety for everyone, we welcome the chance to speak with the City Council about reversing their decision.