Flock Surveillance System Faces Backlash as Law Enforcement and Communities Combat Its Use
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“The Flock cameras have been sort of metastasized into a surveillance system in violation of our constitutional freedoms of searches and seizures. They’re collecting all this data when they were supposed to be just used to get license plate information to find out illegal immigrants and uninsured motorists on the roads.”
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NPR NewsHits against Flock keep coming. Police officers have been found to use this technology to stalk women. And while Flock allows customers to control the information they share on its network, there are some cases where information was unknowingly shared more widely, including with federal immigration agencies.
The Guardian USThe man also said the cameras could be employed for nefarious purposes such as tracking children and stalking a former romantic partner. (A Louisiana sheriff’s deputy was fired recently for using Flock’s system to track his ex-fiancee’s car more than 3,000 times, Guardian reporting partner WWL Louisiana reported).
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A man dressed as Darth Vader appeared to poke fun at San Diego officials for using Flock Safety automated license plate readers at a city council meeting this week, a stunt that comes as the company faces growing backlash linked to spying concerns.
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Washington TimesA man in a full Darth Vader costume approached the microphone at a San Diego City Council committee hearing this week and delivered a sarcasm-drenched endorsement of the city’s Flock surveillance cameras, telling members “the Emperor is a fan of Flock.”
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Flock camera vandalism across dozens of states An increasing number of people are combating the technology in both legal and illegal ways. According to an NPR review of local news reports, Flock cameras have been vandalized in at least 36 states.
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NBC NewsNBC News identified 50 areas across the country where Flock cameras have been damaged, spray-painted, smashed or cut down since 2024. CEO Garrett Langley recently announced reforms in response to privacy concerns — but those targeting the cameras aren’t buying them.
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According to the company, more than 5,000 law enforcement agencies use their technology. More broadly, there are more than 130,000 AI-powered automated license plate readers on American streets, according to DeFlock, an advocacy group that tracks the cameras.
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Dozens of communities have turned against Flock amid widespread public backlash. About 100 cities have deactivated cameras, rejected deals or cancelled contracts, according to DeFlock's database. Some, such as Denver and Longmont, Colo., signed contracts with Flock competitors this year, including Axon, a trend reported by 404 Media.
6 details only one outlet reported
Independent claims that didn't surface elsewhere in our corpus. Treat as supplementary — not corroborated across outlets.
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01 Breitbart Oklahoma Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Mazzei argued that Flock surveillance cameras should only be “used for proper law enforcement work when a judicial warrant is part of the process.”
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02 The Guardian US The man, whose real identity remains unknown, masqueraded on Thursday as the Star Wars villain at a San Diego public safety committee meeting.
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03 Washington Times The costumed speaker, addressed only as “Darth Vader” by committee staff, brought the character’s trademark heavy breathing into the council chamber’s microphone during public comment at Wednesday’s Public Safety and Livable Neighborhoods Committee meeting, according to a Fox News report on the stunt. “This is what the emperor needs,” he told the panel.
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04 NBC News Flock’s new privacy reforms do little to quell outrage among vandals targeting its traffic surveillance cameras. Navy could scrap plan to name aircraft carrier after heroic sailor — and dedicate it to Trump instead. And how Prince Harry’s return could affect his feud with his brother.
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05 NPR News Dozens of people crammed into a conference room for a gathering at a public library in Washington, D.C.
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06 National Review Don’t Fear Flock Cameras Rolling back Flock won’t reverse this tectonic change that’s been decades in the making, but it will deny law enforcement a valuable asset.
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- breitbart
- npr
- nationalreview
- nbc
- guardian
- washtimes