Newport to remove Flock cameras from city after feedback from the public
The short version: Newport, Kentucky is pulling its Flock ALPR cameras after a pilot program and public pushback, proving that organized local pressure can actually roll back surveillance.
Our Take
Credit to WLWT for covering a rare but important story: a city actually listening to residents and walking back a Flock Safety deployment. Pilot programs are often sold as low-risk trial runs, but in practice they're usually a foot in the door meant to normalize permanent surveillance infrastructure before anyone asks hard questions. Newport's decision to end its program after public feedback shows that door can swing both ways.
This matters because most ALPR rollouts follow a predictable script: quiet council approval, vague promises about "solving crime," and cameras going up before residents fully understand what's being logged about their daily movements. Newport's reversal is a reminder that pilot periods are exactly the moment for the public to speak up loudly, not after the contract renews itself.
If you want to see whether Flock or other ALPR systems are already watching your commute, check our camera map, and if you'd rather not wait for a "pilot" to end in your town, visit our take-action page to learn how to push back before the cameras go up.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of WLWT, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.