Flock cameras aid investigations, sheriff says

Our Take

Another week, another friendly local news segment where a sheriff praises Flock Safety cameras and nobody asks the follow-up questions. WSET's piece on Amherst County is the same template we've seen in dozens of markets: an officer says the cameras "helped solve a case," the station runs the quote, and viewers walk away thinking this is just a neutral crime-fighting tool. What's missing is any mention of how long Amherst County retains the data, who else can query it, whether it's shared with federal agencies or other jurisdictions, and what happens when the system misreads a plate and sends a cruiser to the wrong car.

That's the pattern we track at DeFlock USA — a constant drumbeat of "it works" stories from agencies that rarely publish audit logs, misuse incidents, or hit/no-hit accuracy rates. A handful of solved cases doesn't tell you anything about the thousands of innocent drivers whose movements are logged every time they pass a reader, nor does it address the fact that Flock's national network lets one small county sheriff's office tap into data collected far outside its jurisdiction. Credit to WSET for covering the local angle, but readers deserve the other half of the story.

If you want to see whether Amherst County — or your own town — has these cameras installed, check our camera map, and if you'd rather your local government not quietly expand a surveillance network without public debate, our take-action page has steps for pushing back at the next council or board meeting.