Langley, thirty-nine, created Flock after his Atlanta neighborhood faced repeated thefts with police lacking evidence tools. He built makeshift license-plate-reading cameras from Android phones and solar panels, initially selling to homeowners' associations. Law enforcement soon partnered with the company, leading to Flock cameras on public roads nationwide by 2020.

Flock now has a valuation over eight billion dollars, with Andreessen Horowitz as its biggest investor. Around forty per cent of U.S. law-enforcement agencies use Flock, operating 130,000 cameras across every state but Alaska. These cameras record vehicle details—make, model, color—and allow police to use data without warrants for arrests or court evidence.

The company claims its technology has broken up crime rings, intercepted child abductions, and solved missing-persons cases, including tracking a Brown University mass shooter. The International Association of Chiefs of Police calls automated license-plate readers a 'crime-fighting star.' However, mounting backlash challenges Flock's surveillance expansion.