Nine Flock license plate readers sweep every vehicle crossing into the Pentagon’s parking lots, and the hardware arrived without a competitive bid.
The Defense Department bought the cameras through delivery orders on an indefinite-delivery contract handed to Virginia-based M.C. Dean in late 2021. A May 2023 order asked for a license plate recognition system “for the entire Pentagon reservation parking facilities.” A September order directed the contractor to procure Flock perimeter reader systems, with subcontractor ThunderCat Technology handling installation.
Riding on an existing vehicle meant neither Flock nor its resellers had to compete to show their products were the most secure available. The U.S. Park Police took a similar single-source route last year, and many local departments do the same.
Surveillance equipment cuts both ways. Gear that is weak to intruders can be turned against the agency that bought it, and critics argue a compromised reader on the Pentagon grounds would expose which national security officials arrive each day. Flock Safety insists its devices have never been breached. Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon rejects that, saying the Pentagon might as well send the camera data directly to China, Russia and Iran.
Wyden and Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi had already sought an investigation into what they called Flock’s negligent cybersecurity practices. The Defense Department declined to answer questions about who chose the vendor.
