Suffolk County signs $4 million deal with Flock Safety to replace ShotSpotter

Suffolk County quietly finalized a five-year contract valued at nearly $4 million with surveillance company Flock Safety to deploy new gunshot-detection devices, ending its long-standing use of ShotSpotter. The RFP Waiver Committee approved the deal with a unanimous 3-0 vote in April, and the equipment is expected to be fully operational across 23.5 square miles by Sept. 6. District attorney’s office general counsel Jed Painter, who led the negotiations, said the switch will cut county costs by about $800,000 each year, though the current agreement does not cover Flock’s automated license-plate readers or cameras.

Painter described the technology as attractive and suggested additional detectors and possibly the “Raven” system—capable of reporting gunshots, vehicle crashes and loud community disturbances—could be added later. The county does not run any Flock cameras itself, but local municipalities and private communities have installed them, allowing law-enforcement to cross-reference gunshot alerts with existing footage. Recent vandalism of several Flock cameras in Suffolk resulted in an arrest last Friday. Meanwhile, Rep. Thomas Massie has introduced legislation to withdraw federal funds from any local government that contracts with Flock for camera deployment.