Central Valley law enforcement agencies defend flock cameras use #flockcameras #centralvalley

Our Take

CBS47 KSEE24 gave Central Valley law enforcement a platform to defend their Flock Safety camera networks, and predictably, the pitch is the same one departments give everywhere: these cameras solve crimes, so don't ask too many questions about how many there are, who can access the data, or how long it's retained. That framing is doing a lot of work to avoid the actual debate, which isn't whether ALPRs can help close a case here and there — it's whether every driver in the Central Valley should have their movements logged by default, indefinitely, by a private company's camera network that local agencies increasingly treat as infrastructure rather than a tool requiring scrutiny.

What's missing from these local news segments, almost without exception, is any mention of audits, misuse incidents, out-of-state data sharing, or the fact that Flock's own systems have repeatedly been shown to let agencies query networks far outside their jurisdiction. "It helps us solve crimes" is true of basically any surveillance tool ever invented; it's not an argument for skipping transparency. Fresno, Clovis, and the surrounding Central Valley communities deserve to know exactly how many Flock cameras are deployed near them and what policies, if any, govern their use.

Credit to CBS47 KSEE24 for at least putting the topic in front of viewers. Our job is to fill in what the law enforcement talking points leave out. Check our camera map to see what's already been documented in your area, and if you want to push back on unchecked expansion, our take-action page has concrete steps for engaging your city council or sheriff's department.