WSAZ Investigates | City greenlights Flock security camera contract
The short version: Huntington, WV joins the growing list of cities rubber-stamping Flock ALPR contracts with little public debate about long-term surveillance costs.
Our Take
WSAZ NewsChannel 3's investigation into Huntington's new Flock Safety contract follows a script we've seen play out in city council chambers across the country: a pitch about stolen cars and public safety, a quick vote, and a camera network quietly bolted onto the city's infrastructure. Credit to the WSAZ team for actually digging into the approval process instead of just running a press release with lights and sirens b-roll.
What rarely gets asked in these meetings is who else gets access to the data these cameras collect, how long it's retained, and whether any independent audit will ever check if the system is being used only for the narrow purposes officials promise. Flock's pitch to city councils is almost always the same — a handful of car theft or Amber Alert success stories — but the contract signed covers every plate, every driver, every day, cataloged and searchable, often shared across a statewide or even national network of agencies most residents in Huntington have never heard of.
If you live in or around Huntington, this is worth watching closely, not walking past. Check our camera map to see what's already been deployed near you, and if you want to push back on a contract like this in your own town, our take-action page has the tools to start.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of WSAZ NewsChannel 3, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.