Digging deeper into what Flock cameras are capturing

Our Take

Credit to WSBT-TV for doing what too few local newsrooms bother with: actually asking what these cameras capture and where that data goes. Every time a local station digs into Flock Safety's footprint, it chips away at the comfortable assumption that this is just "a camera that reads plates." It's a network that logs where you drive, when, and how often — searchable, shareable, and often retained far longer than most residents realize.

The pattern we keep seeing nationwide is the same one likely playing out in South Bend: a quiet city council vote, a vendor demo promising to catch stolen cars, and little public debate about retention windows, audit logs, or who outside the department can query the system. Flock markets itself as a tool for solving crime, but the infrastructure doesn't care about your intentions — it's a permanent record of ordinary people's movements, and once that record exists, it can be subpoenaed, shared across jurisdictions, or misused.

If you're in WSBT's viewing area, check our camera map to see what's already been documented near you, and if you want to push back on unchecked deployment, our take-action page walks through what to ask your local council before the next camera goes up.