Columbia’s Mayor Wants Better Than Flock. What Does That Mean?

Columbia Mayor Barbara Buffaloe says she wants a better alternative to Flock Safety cameras, according to a report from KRCG. The statement is brief, but it points to a conversation happening in cities all over the country: is automated license plate reading technology actually working the way residents were told it would, and if not, what comes next?

Why this matters even without the details

We don’t yet know the specifics of what prompted the mayor’s comment or what a better alternative would look like. What we do know, based on how these systems work in general, is that any camera network capturing plates is also capturing travel patterns. Flock Safety cameras read every plate that passes, not just ones tied to a warrant or an active investigation. That data gets stored, searched, and in many cities shared with other departments or even private platforms. When a local leader says the current setup isn’t good enough, it’s worth everyday residents paying attention, because it usually means someone has looked closely at the contract, the data retention rules, or the oversight structure and found gaps.

What an ‘alternative’ could actually mean

There are a few different directions a city can take when it says it wants something better than its current ALPR vendor. It could mean switching to a different company with similar technology. It could mean adding stricter local rules on how long data is kept, who can access it, and whether out-of-state agencies or federal agencies get a feed. It could also mean stepping back from blanket plate surveillance entirely in favor of narrower, warrant-based tools. Until Columbia’s city government lays out specifics, residents should treat this as an open question rather than a settled plan.

What residents can do

If you live in Columbia, or in any city weighing its relationship with Flock Safety, the most useful thing you can do is ask direct questions at public meetings: who can search the data, how long is it stored, is it shared outside the department, and what independent audit exists to check for misuse. You can also look at DeFlock’s public map to see where ALPR cameras are already installed near you, and read our plain-language explainer on how these systems function before deciding what questions matter most to you. Change in local surveillance policy almost always starts with residents showing up and asking for specifics, not with vendors or officials volunteering them.

Source: KRCG