East Greenbush residents voice opinions on Flock cameras
The short version: A packed East Greenbush town hall shows what real public pushback on Flock ALPR deployments looks like when residents actually get a mic.
Our Take
Credit to WTEN for sitting through two hours of town board chambers in East Greenbush so the rest of us don't have to — but also because this is exactly the kind of local accountability moment that rarely gets covered. A Flock Safety rep in the room, residents lining up to speak, cops explaining the pitch: this is democracy doing the slow, unglamorous work that usually happens in the dark when these contracts get signed.
What stands out is simply that the hearing happened at all. Most towns adopt ALPR networks through a quiet vote on a consent agenda, with zero public comment and no one from Flock in the room to field hard questions. East Greenbush residents showing up in force — whatever their individual views — is the model. These systems log every passing car, feed a private company's database, and often get justified with vague promises about solving crime that the data rarely backs up.
If your town hasn't had this conversation yet, don't wait for a surprise camera on your street to start it. Check our map to see what's already been installed near you, and use our take-action guide to push for the kind of public hearing East Greenbush just had.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of WTEN, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.