Flock is changing how police agencies can use its surveillance tools after reports that officers misused tracking data, according to The Verge. CEO Garrett Langley told the outlet that the company “got this one wrong” and said Flock is taking more responsibility for preventing misuse by law enforcement. The most concrete change is that Flock will make Audit Assistance mandatory over the coming weeks. The Verge reports that the feature, previously optional, is designed to flag “abnormal search behavior” and lock out suspicious users until an administrator reviews what they did. Flock will also require all users to enter case codes before running searches. The Verge says administrators can override that requirement in emergencies, such as efforts to find a missing child, but those overrides will be automatically flagged for review. The company is also changing its data-retention defaults. According to The Verge, Flock is shortening the default period it keeps data from devices such as automatic license plate readers from 30 days to seven days. Police departments can still choose longer retention, or use a new Evidence Mode that preserves searches tied to a specific case number. Another change concerns data sharing between agencies. The Verge reports that localities previously shared Flock data with other agencies on an all-or-nothing basis. Flock will now let them set more granular restrictions, such as allowing searches for a homicide suspect while blocking access for immigration enforcement. The changes follow reports of alleged misuse. The Verge cites The Washington Post’s reporting that a police chief in Braselton, Georgia, searched his ex-girlfriend’s license plate more than 500 times over seven months. It also cites local outlet KESQ’s reporting that California prosecutors alleged a former Riverside County Sheriff’s Office deputy used Flock data to stalk and harass his ex-girlfriend and look up license plate information on men she was dating. The policy shift is notable because The Verge says Flock had previously pushed oversight responsibility toward lawmakers, arguing that they should set rules requiring audit systems or other limits. Langley told The Verge that regulation has moved slowly, and described mandatory case-code controls as an “obvious way to curb abuse.” This remains a single-source cluster: Techmeme recirculated The Verge’s report rather than adding new independent details. But the Verge story includes direct comments from Flock’s CEO and specific product-policy changes, making the central claim strong enough to treat as developing news. Who benefits: Civil-liberties advocates and local governments seeking tighter controls get more built-in safeguards by default. Police administrators also get clearer tools for detecting suspicious searches inside their own agencies. Who's exposed: Agencies that relied on broad data sharing or longer default retention may face more administrative friction. Flock remains exposed to scrutiny over whether the new controls actually prevent misuse once deployed.