Flock cameras face scrutiny from Simsbury residents
The short version: NBC Connecticut reports Simsbury residents pushing back on Flock Safety cameras, demanding answers on who can access the data and how long it's kept.
Our Take
Credit to NBC Connecticut for putting a camera in front of the people who actually live with these systems. What's happening in Simsbury is the same story playing out in town halls across the country: a police department or town council quietly signs a contract with Flock Safety, and only after the poles go up do residents start asking the obvious questions — who can see this data, how long is it stored, and what stops it from being shared with agencies outside the town's control.
Those questions matter because Flock's answers are rarely as reassuring as the sales pitch. ALPR data can be pooled into regional and even national networks, shared with federal agencies, and queried for reasons that have nothing to do with the crime the cameras were sold to solve. 'Just for stolen cars' has a way of becoming 'searchable by anyone with a login and a justification box to check.' Residents pushing for real answers in Simsbury aren't being paranoid — they're doing the oversight their elected officials should have demanded before signing the purchase order.
If you want to know whether your own town is already wired up like Simsbury, check our camera map, and if you're ready to push back at your next council meeting, our take-action page has the tools to start.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of NBC Connecticut, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.