Last year, police surveillance startup Flock Safety hired the mayor of a California city with more than 200,000 residents to promote its product. However, Moreno Valley Mayor Ulises Cabrera now refuses to allow Flock to use his position as mayor to benefit Flock, according to a lawsuit Cabrera filed against Flock in November 2024. He claims that he was unfairly dismissed for this reason.
Backed by Andreessen Horowitz, Flock grew to a $3.5 billion valuation by selling license plate recognition technology across the country (and recently expanded into drones), but the lawsuit , concerns have been raised about the influence of private companies on elected officials.
Mr. Flock completely denies Mr. Cabrera's claims and maintains that the appointment of a sitting mayor complies with California's conflict of interest regulations. As of press time, Cabrera had not responded to TechCrunch's request for comment.
The lawsuit, first reported by surveillance industry publication IPVM, states that Cabrera worked as a community engagement manager for Flock from February to June 2024. Cabrera has been serving as Moreno Valley's mayor since 2022, but the position is part-time, according to local newspapers. Newspaper Press Enterprise.
Flock's job posting for the position says the salary will be between $100,000 and $140,000, plus additional stock options. The job description states that his purpose is to “work with the sales team” to “coach law enforcement customers” through the public procurement process. While working for Flock, Moreno promoted Flock's technology in at least two city councils outside of his jurisdiction, in Whitewater, Kansas, and Mammoth Lakes, California, according to public meeting minutes. I gave a presentation.
However, Cabrera's complaint states that approximately two weeks after Cabrera began working for Flock, a Flock employee demanded that Cabrera “use his position as mayor of Moreno Valley for the benefit of the company.” It is said that he did. Concerned about the ethical and legal implications, Cabrera claims he forwarded the request to his attorney, imitating the Flock employee who allegedly began “exhibiting retaliatory behavior” shortly thereafter. Mr. Cabrera's lawsuit does not elaborate on what Mr. Flock's alleged demands were.
“We are disturbed by allegations that this company will pressure its staff to unethically abuse their government positions,” said Albert Fox-Kahn, founder and executive director of the Surveillance Technology Surveillance Project. he told TechCrunch. “This adds to a growing body of evidence that US surveillance is facilitated by a broken revolving door between industry and government.”
Mr. Flock said he had confirmed with outside counsel that the employment of a sitting mayor was legal under California's conflict of interest regulations and provided guidance to Mr. Cabrera about it. The law prohibits public officials, even those who are employees of private companies, from making decisions based on their own economic interests. However, this does not prohibit them from taking a job in the private sector.
While campaigning for re-election, which he won in November 2024, Mr. Cabrera (before he started working with Flock) campaigned that he had previously voted to fund a citywide Flock system in Moreno Valley. He later went on to work for Flock while serving as mayor, which he advertised on his website but did not reveal on his website. His LinkedIn currently doesn't even mention Flock.
Mr. Cabrera also faced retaliation for raising concerns that while working on a project in Carmel-by-the-Sea, Flock had significantly underreported the number of surveillance cameras installed there. claims to have received it. Last February, a separate Forbes investigation found that Flock's camera installations violated laws in at least five states, including installing the cameras without proper permission from authorities. Mr. Flock told Forbes that the company is “operating to the best of our ability and within the confines of the law.”
Cabrera also claims Flock employees sexually harassed her, including rubbing her feet during meetings and announcing her upcoming parental leave. Flock says it completely denies Cabrera's claims.
The lawsuit marks the latest episode in Flock's recent legal troubles. In April, civil rights groups filed a lawsuit alleging that Flock's extensive surveillance violates the Fourth Amendment. The Texas Department of Public Safety issued a cease-and-desist order in September, saying Flock did not have the proper permits to operate from private homes or businesses.