--- title: "In New Low, Flock CEO Insists His AI-Surveillance Cameras Could Have Solved the Nancy Guthrie Case" description: "Garrett Langley insists his cameras would have found Nancy Guthrie, even though her city was covered in ALPRs at the time of her kidnapping." date: "2026-08-18" modified: "2026-08-18" authors: - name: "Joe Wilkins" job_title: "Correspondent" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jwilkins" url: "https://futurism.com/future-society/flock-ceo-new-low-alpr-nancy-guthrie-tucson-arizona" categories: - "Future Society" - "Privacy" --- # In New Low, Flock CEO Insists His AI-Surveillance Cameras Could Have Solved the Nancy Guthrie Case ![Volunteers putting up flyers for the search of Nancy Guthrie following her disappearance.]() *Joe Raedle/Getty Images* Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langley is no stranger to controversy, something he [regularly uses]() to drum up press and raise the profile of his universally reviled surveillance company. While we may be giving him exactly what he wants, his latest outburst is so insulting we just have to push back. In a new interview [with *Vanity Fair*](), Langley defended the utility of his company's automatic license plate readers (ALPRs), AI-integrated surveillance cameras which have turned Flock into one of the most widely hated brands in the US. When the interview went off-track into the tragic kidnapping of Nancy Guthrie, Langley chose to center his own personal interests: "we would have solved that case," he bragged. "One hundred percent," Langley said. "There's no doubt in my mind." It's a pretty galling statement, and one that's hard to comprehend. There are at least four known networks of Flock cameras in Tucson, Arizona, the city where Guthrie was forcibly captured by an unknown attacker or attackers over six months ago. According to the ALRP-tracking site [DeFlock](), there were over 120 known cameras dotting the Tucson area at the time of Guthrie's disappearance. That includes ALPRs lining the major throughways leading in and out of Tucson, like I19, I10 North and South, and state highways 77, 86, and 210. The cameras were there, in other words, so the question is: why *hasn't* Flock managed to hunt down her kidnapper? With over [120,000 ALPRs]() dotting the US at this point, it seems the one thing Flock excels at is enabling police officers to [stalk innocent people]() — a far cry from Langley's self-important claim. **More on Flock:** *[Flock Surveillance Cameras Are Actually Horrible for Fighting Crime, FBI Data Shows]()* ## Author At Futurism, I focus on the intersection of technology and power — examining the economics, history, and politics behind today’s dystopian headlines. As a writer, I’m interested in topics ranging from AI’s impact on labor to startups nobody asked for. My prior work includes bylines in Jacobin, Verso, and Blue Labyrinths. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Forbes, The Guardian, MIT Technology Review, Time, The Nation, Mother Jones, The Verge, and Wired. I grew up in Michigan, attending Central Michigan University as well as Ball State University, where I earned a master of music. I now live in Brooklyn with my girlfriend and our cat Ziti. On weekends, you can find me hunched over a cold pint arguing geopolitics with the other transplants. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()