Covington's Flock bill grew to $201,000 as software and drones joined the camera fee
Covington, Georgia has paid Flock $201,000 through August 2026, up from $40,000 in 2020, Wired reported. Add-ons now sit beside a maintenance fee that has itself risen, so the camera count no longer predicts the invoice.
The Product Desk
Key figures card. Covington paid Flock $100,000 to maintain existing cameras through August 2026. In 2024 it paid $87,500 to maintain 35 cameras, at a rate it agreed to pay for the next five years. In 2020 it paid $40,000 to maintain 20 cameras.
| Figure | Value | Note | Claim |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maintenance of existing cameras, through August 2026 | 100,000 dollars | 6 | |
| Maintenance of 35 cameras, 2024 | 87,500 dollars | rate agreed for the next five years | 4 |
| Maintenance, 2020 | 40,000 dollars | for 20 cameras around the city | 1 |
What happened
- In 2022 the bill reached $81,250, with $37,500 for 15 new Falcon cameras and $3,750 to install them.
- In 2024 Covington paid $113,225: $87,500 to maintain 35 cameras at a rate fixed for five years, and the rest for eight more Falcon cameras.
- The 2025 bill was $159,000 and included enrollment in Flock's Drone as First Responder program alongside camera maintenance.
- Alpharetta, Georgia, saw its annual Flock bill reach $381,000 by 2025.
Why it matters
- cost Flock is a small fraction of Covington's $12,488,733 police budget, so in our view each add-on is small enough to pass without its own debate while the city pays the sum.
- constraint Alpharetta's own paperwork treats other vendors as incompatible with the installed system, which narrows the choice at every later expansion.
- decision Alpharetta's five-year lock beat five one-year agreements by $232,500, so a buyer has to weigh that discount against five years of commitment.
- contradiction Covington agreed in 2024 to a five-year maintenance rate, yet maintenance through August 2026 is $12,500 above the 2024 figure, and Wired did not report the reason.
The 2021 Covington invoice matched the one from 2020: $40,000 for 20 cameras [1][2]. A budget officer who saw both would have had reason to file Flock as a fixed cost.
What teams tell themselves is that a camera program is a camera count times a fee. Wired's figures say the count explains only part of it. The 2026 total through August is about five times the 2020 bill [19], an increase of $161,000 [20]. Of that, $100,200 is new software products, about 62% [21]. Another $60,000 is higher maintenance [22], and $800 replaced one camera [6].
The maintenance line itself moved. In 2020, $40,000 for 20 cameras works out to $2,000 a camera [16]. In 2024, $87,500 for 35 cameras is $2,500 a camera [17], a 25% rise per camera [18].
Alpharetta shows how the sequence starts. In 2020 it paid $17,680 for five Falcon cameras and logins for Flock's Wing software [9]. Its 2025 bill is more than 21 times that [23]. A 2021 payment justification noted that "several" local homeowner associations had already bought Flock and granted the city camera access [11]. The city said "other vendors" would "not integrate with our existing Flock system" [12]. Last year Alpharetta also used a 90-day free trial of a Flock product called Nova [14].
Matthew Guariglia, a senior policy analyst at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, said that once police officers are allowed to try a tool, it becomes very hard to find the political will and motivation to take it away from them [15].
For the person who signs the renewal, we'd sort every invoice line on two things: whether it recurs next year, and whether anyone approved it on its own. One-time and approved is a purchase, like Covington's 15 Falcon cameras and their $3,750 installation in 2022 [3]. Recurring and approved is an ordinary budget line. One-time and unapproved is a trial, and Alpharetta's Nova window sits there until it converts. Recurring and never approved on its own is the box to read first, because per-camera rate changes and software add-ons collect there unless the vendor documents otherwise.
The cost of this sorting is slower pilots, since every trial needs an end date and an owner. We think that is acceptable, because a recurring line nobody approved is one the next council inherits.
What to watch
- Covington's full-year 2026 total, which Wired said is unclear, and whether the software line recurs in 2027.
- Any explanation from Covington or Flock for the $12,500 maintenance rise under a rate fixed in 2024.
- Whether the cities now scrutinizing Flock contracts start requiring a separate vote on each add-on at renewal.
Clarity's read
What the record supports and how the coverage leans. The claims behind it follow.
Reality
- Evidence68
- Adoption
- Insufficient
- Hype gap+10
- Incentives65
- Confidence66
Claim ledger
Ranked by verification strength, evidence, and original report placement.
- [1]
In 2020, the Covington, Georgia police department paid Flock Safety $40,000 to maintain 20 cameras around the city.
- [2]
In 2021, Covington's police department paid Flock the same $40,000 it paid in 2020.
- [3]
In 2022 Covington's Flock cost rose to $81,250: $37,500 for 15 new Falcon cameras, $3,750 to install them, and the rest to maintain the initial fleet.
- [4]
In 2024 Covington paid Flock $113,225, of which $87,500 maintained its existing 35 cameras at a rate it agreed to pay for the next five years, and the remainder went to eight new Falcon cameras.
- [5]
In 2025 Covington paid Flock $159,000 for a combination of camera maintenance and enrollment in its Drone as First Responder program.
- [6]
Through August 2026 Covington has paid Flock $201,000: $100,000 to maintain existing cameras, $800 to replace one, and $100,200 for new software products. It is unclear how much the city will pay for all of 2026.
- [7]
The Covington Police Department did not respond to Wired's request for comment, and Flock did not provide a comment for the story.
- [8]
Flock is a small fraction of the Covington police department's $12,488,733 budget for June 2025 to July 2026.
- [9]
In 2020 the Alpharetta, Georgia police department paid Flock $17,680 for five Falcon cameras and logins for Flock's Wing software.
- [10]
By 2025 Alpharetta's annual Flock bill had reached $381,000.
- [11]
A payment justification when Alpharetta bought more Flock cameras in 2021 noted that 'several' local private homeowner associations had already purchased Flock and granted the city camera access.
- [12]
According to the city of Alpharetta, 'other vendors' would 'not integrate with our existing Flock system.'
- [13]
In 2024 Alpharetta locked into a five-year Flock contract costing $254,250 the first year and $238,000 for each successive year, $232,500 less than five one-year agreements, which could be subject to higher rates.
- [14]
Alpharetta used one 90-day free trial window last year to try a new Flock product called Nova.
- [15]
"Once you let police officers try a tool, it becomes really hard to get the political will and motivation to take that tool away from them," said Matthew Guariglia, a senior policy analyst at the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
- [16]
Covington's 2020 maintenance cost works out to $2,000 per camera.
- [17]
Covington's 2024 maintenance cost works out to $2,500 per camera.
- [18]
The per-camera maintenance cost rose 25% between 2020 and 2024.
- [19]
Covington's 2026 Flock total through August is about five times its 2020 bill.
- [20]
Covington's Flock spending rose $161,000 between 2020 and August 2026.
- [21]
New software products account for about 62% of the $161,000 increase.
- [22]
Camera maintenance accounts for $60,000 of the increase, from $40,000 in 2020 to $100,000 through August 2026.
- [23]
Alpharetta's 2025 Flock bill is more than 21 times its 2020 payment.
- [24]
Covington's maintenance charge through August 2026 is $12,500 above the $87,500 paid in 2024.
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Sources
1 independent publisher whose own reporting we read for this story.
- wired.comWhat Flock Actually Costs Cities Across the Country
1 article · October 13, 2026
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