Flock Safety, the surveillance technology company currently enjoying a warm bath of public backlash, announced a "generous" severance package on Friday for employees willing to voluntarily walk out the door, according to a report from Wired.

The company expects a significant chunk of its 1,500-person workforce to raise their hands, and says it will grant buyouts to the majority of those interested. Internal messaging described the packages as the "most generous" Flock has ever offered - which is one way to frame paying people to leave before you have to push them.

Letting staff depart voluntarily also lets Flock avoid the optics of a formal layoff. Wired reports that without the buyouts, the company would "almost certainly" need to cut staff anyway. It's the corporate equivalent of telling your guests the party is winding down rather than admitting the venue is closing.

The morale problem is not hypothetical. In August, The Washington Post identified 46 cases in which police officers were accused of misusing Flock's license plate recognition technology, including allegations that officers stalked their wives, girlfriends, or exes. Florida and Texas both announced they will stop using the startup's tech. An anti-surveillance advocacy group counted 90 cities that dropped Flock in August alone - a fourfold increase over the previous month.

TechCrunch has reached out to Flock for comment. CEO Garrett Langley recently told the All-In podcast that the "biggest damage" from the backlash has been to "internal morale" - a statement that manages to be both candid and a masterclass in understatement, given the 46 misconduct cases, two state-level defections, and 90 municipal exits on the books.