Cutting Down Flock Cameras Worked: Cities Cut Contracts
The short version: Dr. Josh C. Simmons highlights towns actually canceling Flock contracts, proof that organized pushback against ALPR surveillance can win.
Our Take
Dr. Josh C. Simmons lays out something we don't get to cover often enough: wins. Cities that signed up for Flock's promise of safer streets are now reading the fine print on what these cameras actually do — build a searchable log of every car that passes, for every driver, whether or not they're suspected of anything. When that record gets abused, or just gets too expensive and too creepy for a city council to defend, contracts get cut. That's the system working the way it's supposed to.
The pattern matters because it proves these deployments aren't inevitable. Flock sells automated license plate readers as a quiet background utility, but once residents learn their daily commute is being logged and shared across a national network, the political calculus changes fast. Public records requests, open meetings, and a council member willing to ask hard questions can undo a deal that looked unstoppable a year earlier.
If you want to see whether your town is already wired up, check our camera map, and if you're ready to push back the way these cities did, our take-action page has the tools to start.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of Dr. Josh C. Simmons, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.