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Last year , police surveillance startup Flock Safety hired the city manager of a California metropolis with over 200,000 resident physician to promote its product . But the mayor , Ulises Cabrera of Moreno Valley , now claims Flock wrongfully terminated him , part because he refuse to use his position as mayor to benefit Flock , according toa lawsuitCabrera filed against Flock in November 2024 .
game by Andreessen Horowitz , Flock has grown to a $ 3.5 billionvaluationthanks to its gross revenue of permission plate recognition engineering across the U.S. ( It alsorecently expandedinto drones . ) But the lawsuit raises concerns about the influence of individual companies on elect officials .
Flock flatly deny all of Cabrera ’s allegation and says its hire of a sitting mayor abide by with California ’s conflict - of - interest regulation . Cabrera did n’t answer to a request for gossip from TechCrunch as of press time .
The cause , first reportedon by surveillance industry publicationIPVM , state that Cabrera work as a Community Engagement Manager for Flock from February to June 2024 . Cabrera has been city manager of Moreno Valley since 2022 , although the spot is part - sentence , harmonise tolocal newspaper Press - Enterprise .
AFlock job postingfor this billet say it comes with a pay of $ 100,000 – $ 140,000 plus extra stock selection . It is intended to “ guide police force enforcement customers ” through the public procurement process “ in collaboration with the Sales squad , ” the job description states . During his clock time at Flock , Moreno gave presentations promoting Flock ’s technology to at least two metropolis council coming together well outside his jurisdiction , one in Whitewater , Kansasand another inMammoth Lakes , California , according to public meeting note .
But around two weeks after Cabrera began working for Flock , a Flock employee allegedly request that Cabrera “ use his berth as Mayor of Moreno Valley to benefit the company , ” Cabrera ’s suit read . Concerned about the honourable and effectual implications , Cabrera claims he send on the petition to his effectual counsel while copying the Flock employee , who allegedly start “ exhibiting relatiative behavior ” right away afterwards . Cabrera ’s suit does not go into further detail about what sort of asking Flock allegedly made .
“ disturb to see claims that this society would hale faculty to unethically misapply a government stead , ” Albert Fox Cahn , founder and executive director of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project , tells TechCrunch . “ This adds to the growing body of grounds that American surveillance is fueled by a broken revolving room access between industry and government . ”
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Flock says it confirmed with remote counsel that employing a sitting city manager is legal under California conflict of pastime ordinance and that it groom Cabrera on them . The lawbars public officials from making decision based on their own financial interest group , admit as employees in private ship’s company . But it does n’t prohibit them from taking private sector jobs .
While run for re - election , which he gain in November 2024,Cabrera toutedon his campaign website his earlier vote to fund a citywide mass system in Moreno Valley ( before he set out working at Flock ) , but he did n’t disclose on the website that he ended up working for Flock afterwards while serving as mayor . His LinkedIn currently does n’t mention Flock , either .
Cabrera also exact he suffered retaliation for promote concerns that Flock was significantly underreporting the number of surveillance cameras installed in Carmel - by - the - Sea while ferment on a project there . Last February , a separate Forbes investigationfound that Flock camera induction broke laws in at least five body politic , admit by installing camera without getting proper permits from authorities . Flock told Forbes that the company “ operate to the best of our power within the bounds of the law . ”
Cabrera also claim the Flock employee sexually harassed him by rubbing his leg against his at a conference and disclosing coming parental parting . Flock say it unconditionally denies all of Cabrera ’s allegations .
This lawsuit marks the latest episode in Flock ’s recent sound trouble . In April , a civic right organizationsued Flock , arguing that the company ’s far-flung surveillance ravish the Fourth Amendment . In September , the Texas Department of Public Safetysent Flock a cease and abstain , claim it did not have the right license to control in private homes and occupation .
