Ayer MA ends Flock ALPR contract (2026)
Ayer, MA — Select Board Unanimously Terminates the Town's Flock Safety License-Plate Reader Contract and Orders Its Nine Cameras Taken Down (August 31, 2026)
Ayer, MA · Ayer, Mass. Select Board vote of August 31, 2026 terminating Flock Safety ALPR contract
- Status
- In effect
- Took effect
- September 1, 2026
- Applies to
- Town of Ayer and Ayer Police Department; Flock Safety (camera removal)
- Enforced by
- Ayer Select Board; Ayer Police Department
Ayer, a town of about 10,000 people, had nine Flock Safety cameras that photograph passing cars and read their license plates. After residents told the Select Board the cameras invaded their privacy and could be misused, the three-member board voted unanimously on August 31, 2026 to end the town's contract with Flock immediately. The cameras were switched off the next day. Flock owns the cameras and poles and still has to remove them; the police chief is checking that they stay off until then.
Who is protected: Drivers and residents in Ayer whose vehicle and plate images were captured by the cameras
Legal detail
Town of Ayer, Mass. (Middlesex County) — SELECT BOARD, three members, UNANIMOUS vote at its AUGUST 31, 2026 meeting to terminate the town's contract with Flock Safety (Flock Group Inc.) 'immediately' and take down the NINE Flock automated license plate reader cameras. Motion by Vice Chair Jannice Livingston, adopted in re-worded form. Chairman Chris Tavares said installing the cameras was legal but the way collected data has reportedly been used elsewhere is not. IMPLEMENTATION: per the town/Ayer Police Department website post, cameras were DEACTIVATED SEPTEMBER 1, 2026 and 'the contract with Flock Camera and the Town of Ayer is no longer in effect'; physical removal is Flock's responsibility (it owns the cameras and poles) and is delayed by a nationwide backlog; Police Chief Brian Gill is monitoring that they remain deactivated. CONTEXT: Lowell Sun (2026-09-23) lists Ayer among at least 31 Massachusetts cities and towns that have dropped Flock. Compare Cambridge terminates Flock Safety ALPR contract for 'material breach….
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | Ayer, MA |
|---|---|
| Level | City / local |
| Strength | Moderate |
| Enacted | August 31, 2026 |
| Citation | Ayer, Mass. Select Board vote of August 31, 2026 terminating Flock Safety ALPR contract |
| Private right of action | No, agency enforcement only |
| Penalties | None — contract termination |
| Topics | police and surveillance AI · consumer data privacy · government use of AI |
| News report | Ayer Select Board terminates Flock contract — Sentinel & Enterprise (Sept. 17, 2026) |
Related police and surveillance AI rules elsewhere
- NAACP v. xAI (Colossus 2 Air Pollution) · Blocked / in litigation
- Chatrie v. United States (Fourth Amendment protection for location… · Blocked / in litigation
- Virginia § 15.2-1723.2 (facial recognition by local law enforcement, eff. July 1, 2026) · In effect
- Huntington WV Flock contract approved 6-4 (Jul. 14, 2026) · In effect
- ACLU-WV v. Huntington (Flock contract mandamus) · Blocked / in litigation
- Minneapolis rejects Skydio DFR contract 6-6 (Jul. 16, 2026) · In effect
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