Don't Get CAUGHT! How To Deflock Cameras (And Why You Shouldn't) #shorts

Our Take

Credit to ClipThePress for putting a spotlight on "deflocking" — the growing habit of people disabling or destroying Flock Safety ALPR cameras. The video's warning is fair: tampering with these units, even ones quietly bolted to a stop sign with no signage or public vote behind them, can trigger destruction-of-property or even felony charges depending on the state and who owns the hardware. That's a real risk, and anyone tempted to go full vigilante should know exactly what they're risking before they act.

But the bigger story here isn't about camera vandalism — it's about why so many ordinary people feel pushed to that point in the first place. Flock's network has expanded into thousands of communities with little public debate, often installed through private contracts that dodge the kind of oversight a police purchase would normally require. When people feel like quietly cutting a wire is their only lever, that's a sign the system lacks accountable, legal ways for communities to say no.

That's the gap we're trying to close. Instead of risking a trespassing charge in the middle of the night, use our camera map to see what's already watching your streets, and head to our take-action page for the records requests, council meetings, and local campaigns that actually put pressure on these programs — legally, and with more staying power than a pair of wire cutters.