Atlanta's surveillance camera network grew eightfold between 2021 and 2026 without meaningfully improving the city's crime-solving rates, according to an investigation published Tuesday, July 28, by the Atlanta Community Press Collective. The findings raise pointed questions for Dunwoody and Brookhaven residents whose police departments rely on the same Flock Safety technology.
The investigation, authored by Matt Scott, analyzed FBI Crime Data Explorer records and found that Atlanta Police Department homicide clearance rates actually dropped from 53.4% in 2021 to 48% in 2025. That decline came even as the city's Connect Atlanta program expanded from 3,300 integrated cameras to 28,626 by Thursday, July 23, 2026.
Across eight other major crime categories, including robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, and motor vehicle theft, APD clearance rates remained essentially flat over the same period.
What Dunwoody spends
The Dunwoody Police Department operates approximately 80 Flock automated license plate readers and about 25 live-view cameras, according to officials at the city's Monday, April 13, 2026, council meeting. A September 2025 Forbes investigation reported the department pays roughly $500,000 annually for its Flock array, which at that time included 105 cameras, gunshot detectors, a drone, and the FlockOS software platform.
The Dunwoody City Council voted unanimously on Monday, April 13, 2026, to renew a $15,000 Flock contract for 911 dispatch technology and approve a second Flock drone, despite vocal opposition from residents who chanted "shame" during the meeting.
Dunwoody Police Chief Mike Carlson said in April, when the council was considering the contract renewal, that Flock's 911 technology "has significantly reduced the response time between receipt of calls for service and officer arrival on scene." That claim centers on response time, not clearance rates.
Neither the Dunwoody Police Department nor the Brookhaven Police Department has publicly responded to the ACPC clearance-rate findings.
Brookhaven's exposure
Brookhaven also uses Flock cameras. A 404 Media investigation found that Flock's Condor pan-tilt-zoom cameras had been exposed to the open internet without password protection, allowing researchers to track a man rollerblading on Brookhaven's Peachtree Creek Greenway across multiple camera feeds.
Misuse concerns in DeKalb
The clearance-rate findings arrive weeks after a separate Flock misuse case in DeKalb County. Sgt. Kabiru Salawu, a DeKalb County sheriff's deputy employed since 2009, was fired and charged on Saturday, July 18, with violation of oath of office and misuse of license plate data after an internal investigation found he used Flock cameras for unauthorized purposes, according to WSB-TV.
As we reported July 20, Dunwoody residents have also raised oversight concerns after a Flock employee accessed children's gymnastics camera feeds at the Marcus Jewish Community Center through the city's network.
The bigger picture
Len Phillips of DeFlock Atlanta told the ACPC that "the tradeoff between public safety and privacy was just a one-way transaction."
Nationally, 91 municipalities have canceled or paused Flock contracts over privacy and security concerns, according to DeFlock.org. No upcoming Dunwoody or Brookhaven council votes on Flock contracts have been scheduled as of July 29.
Residents with information about crimes in Dunwoody can contact the Dunwoody Police Department at 678-382-6900 or submit tips anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 404-577-8477.
