By CJ Lester | CJ Lester Investigates
On September 30, 2025, Conyers Police Chief R. Scott Freeman signed a 10-year agreement with Flock Safety worth $6,857,386. Records obtained through the Georgia Open Records Act show what the contract includes and what it commits the city to.
What the City Is Getting
- 52 license plate reader cameras
- 70 live-streaming video cameras
- 10 cameras placed on private business property
- 3 drones for a "Drone as First Responder" program
- Gunshot detection
- Flock911, which gives officers access to live 911 calls
- Flock Nova, a platform that combines police records, body camera data, court data, and code enforcement data
- An AI search tool that lets officers search camera images using plain language
The plan also calls for connecting video from up to four schools, with Rockdale County Public Schools listed as the top priority. That school agreement was still pending when the contract was signed.
What the Contract Says
- Length: 10 years, then it automatically renews in two-year terms unless the city cancels at least 30 days before the term ends.
- Cost: $296,403 in the first year, rising every year to $891,000 in Year 10.
- Discounts: Flock applied more than $2.5 million in discounts, most of it for the 10-year commitment.
- Ownership: Flock owns all the equipment. The city does not.
- Replaces earlier deals: It supersedes every previous Flock agreement, including the expansion the City Council approved in 2022.
- Council's check: If council does not fund the program in a future budget, the city can end the contract without penalty.
The contract was signed by Chief Freeman and Flock's Chief Legal Officer. The records I have received so far do not show a City Council vote on this agreement. I will ask about that directly.
Coming Up: A Full Interview With the Chief
I reached out to Chief Freeman, and he agreed to an in-person interview and a walkthrough of the department's Flock operations.
"I am absolutely open to sitting down for an interview and providing a full walkthrough of our operations as they relate to Flock, including how the system is used, how it was implemented, how the expansion fits into our public-safety strategy, and how we audit access and safeguard data," Freeman said.
I will report what I learn from that interview, along with the answers to my pending records requests.
If you have questions you want asked about Flock cameras in Conyers, or information about any City of Conyers matter, contact me at cj@cjlesterinvestigates.com.
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