Flock surveillance cameras can pose a crash risk for drivers, US experts say

Our Take

B.C. Begley's reporting adds a wrinkle we don't talk about enough: these cameras aren't just privacy problems, they're physical objects bolted onto poles in the right-of-way, often placed with more thought given to catching plates than to sightlines, clear zones, or what happens when a car drifts off the road. When safety advocates start flagging crash risk, that's a sign these installations are being rushed into place without the kind of engineering review that normally governs anything permanent near a roadway.

It's a useful reminder that Flock's expansion has outpaced the institutions meant to vet it. Most of these cameras go up through private contracts between a company and a local police department, with little independent traffic-safety sign-off and even less public input. The surveillance debate usually centers on who's watching your movements, but this video shows the rollout is sloppy in mundane, physical ways too — which should worry city councils just as much as privacy advocates.

If you want to see how many of these poles have gone up near you, check our camera map, and if your town is considering a Flock contract, our take-action page has tools for pushing back before the poles go in.