Flock Safety has caused much controversy across the United States with its automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras.
Despite privacy, tracking, and data sharing concerns, some local municipalities are acquiring additional Flock technology.
Newport just became the second city in Rhode Island to approve the purchase of Flock Safety First Responder Drones.
The Newport City Council voted unanimously to approve a three-year, $375,000 contract with Flock Group Inc. for a pilot drone program.
Watch a video demonstration below showing Flock’s drone technology:
Remember when everyone was told Flock was “just reading license plates”?
Anyway, here’s Flock Alpha, the autonomous drone.
It only flies 60 mph, launches itself, streams thermal video, can be flown from a cops phone and reads your license plate from 2,000 feet. Good stuff. pic.twitter.com/7Swhu8jTOn
— Champagne Joshi (@JoshWalkos) July 23, 2026
WPRI shared further:
Though no one spoke out against the new technology before the vote, councilors acknowledged the uneasiness some residents may feel about it.
That’s why those concerns were addressed by Newport Police Chief Ryan Duffy prior to the vote.
“It brings us a whole new lane of situational awareness,” Duffy said.
Duffy explained that the drone would be sent out when 911 calls come in and would arrive at the scene of an emergency within about 90 seconds.
“It’s going as the crow flies,” Duffy said. “It doesn’t have to worry about traffic, it doesn’t have to worry about one-way streets.”
Once it arrives at the scene, Duffy said the drone gives first responders eyes on the situation.
“For policing, it means not losing critical evidence,” Duffy continued. “It means having more information to solve crimes and to be able to to provide safety for our residents.”
Duffy pointed to a recent double shooting in Newport where investigators spent hours piecing together what happened and figuring out who was involved.
According to WPRI, the $375,000 contract was partially covered by a private donor.
“We’ve been working on this for six to eight months,” donor Peter Kiernan said, according to the outlet.
“This is the right thing for Newport. It’s good for the people of Newport,” Kiernan added.
Newport Fire Chief Harp Donnelly expressed support for the drones.
“For fire calls, it’s priceless,” Donnelly said.
Duffy said the drones would only be utilized for specific service calls and not be on patrol.
A Flock Safety spokesperson said the drone only begins recording when it arrives on scene.
“We understand privacy and intrusion are big concerns,” Duffy said.
“We want the community to feel safe with this asset,” he added.
Newport This Week noted:
According to city documents, the drone will serve the police and fire departments, as well as the harbormaster’s office and “resilience and sustainability operations.”
Watch additional coverage below:
What are your thoughts?
