Cities turning off crime tech (ShotSpotter/Flock debate)
The short version: Verdict Clips TV spotlights cities pulling back from ShotSpotter and Flock, proof that pushback on unaccountable surveillance tech is gaining traction.
Our Take
Credit to Verdict Clips TV for pulling this thread: when cities that once rushed to adopt ShotSpotter and Flock Safety's ALPR networks start quietly turning them off, that's a story worth amplifying. For years the sales pitch was simple — more sensors, more cameras, less crime. The reality has been messier: inflated effectiveness claims, little independent oversight, and communities discovering these systems were logging everyone's movements, not just suspects.
What's notable is that this isn't just activists making noise anymore. It's city councils and police departments themselves reassessing whether the tradeoffs — cost, false positives, civil liberties exposure — are worth it. That shift matters because it shows these systems aren't inevitable infrastructure; they're policy choices that can be reversed once the public and officials start asking harder questions about who watches the watchers.
If your city hasn't had that reckoning yet, now's the time to start it. Check our camera map to see what's already been installed near you, and use our take-action resources to push your local government toward the same scrutiny other cities are finally giving this tech.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of Verdict Clips TV, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.