LAPD expected to get new license plate readers
The short version: NBCLA reports LAPD is set to expand license plate reader use just weeks after dumping Flock Safety over privacy and data-sharing concerns.
Our Take
Credit to NBCLA for catching the whiplash here: LAPD cuts ties with Flock Safety citing privacy and data concerns, then turns around and moves to expand its camera network anyway. That's not a retreat from mass surveillance — it's a vendor swap. The cameras don't care whose logo is on the box; what matters is who gets the data, how long it's kept, and who it's shared with.
Dropping one company because of documented abuses means nothing if the next contract repeats the same mistakes under a different name. Angelenos deserve to see the actual procurement terms before new poles go up: retention limits, audit trails, and ironclad bans on sharing plate data with ICE or out-of-state agencies hunting people over abortion or immigration status. Without that in writing, 'ending a contract' is just a press release.
If you're in LA or anywhere else watching this shell game play out, check our map to see what's already tracking your streets, and hit take action to push your city council for real transparency before the next vendor rolls in.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of NBCLA, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.