What's next for Robinson after city council votes to end Flock Safety camera program
The short version: Robinson's city council voted unanimously to kill its Flock Safety program, with police shutting down cameras and cutting off data sharing immediately.
Our Take
Credit to KCEN News for covering a win that doesn't happen nearly often enough: a city council actually unwinding a Flock Safety contract instead of rubber-stamping another renewal. A unanimous vote to deactivate cameras and stop data sharing on the spot isn't a symbolic gesture — it's an acknowledgment that the program wasn't worth what it cost the public in privacy.
What's notable here is the "unanimous" part. These votes are usually one-sided in the other direction, with councils approving ALPR deals on consent agendas without real debate. When a body reverses course entirely, it's usually because residents pushed back, pressed for data on actual outcomes, and refused to accept vague public-safety talking points as justification for a permanent record of everyone's movements. That kind of pressure works, and it's worth other communities paying attention to.
Robinson pulling its cameras doesn't mean the surveillance network disappears — neighboring jurisdictions and statewide data-sharing agreements can still pull a driver's location history across city lines. Check our camera map to see what's actually operating near you, and if your city hasn't had this conversation yet, use our take-action resources to start it.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of KCENNews, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.