NY GOV. KATHY HOCHUL AND DONALD TRUMP ARE PUTTING 'FLOCK' CAMERAS UP ALL OVER UPSTATE NEW YORK
The short version: Journalist JB Nicholas reports that Flock cameras are spreading through the Adirondacks under a bipartisan push from Gov. Hochul and the Trump administration, proving mass surveillance isn't a partisan issue.
Our Take
When journalist JB Nicholas points his camera at both a Democratic governor and a Republican president pushing the same surveillance technology into rural New York, it's worth paying attention. Flock Safety's pitch to small Adirondack towns like Tupper Lake is the same one it makes everywhere: catch the bad guys, protect the kids, nothing to worry about. What rarely gets mentioned in these local rollout stories is that these cameras feed into a nationwide, searchable network that most residents never voted on and most town boards barely understand before signing the contract.
What makes this story worth watching is the bipartisan angle. ALPR expansion doesn't care which party is in charge — it's being sold to blue state capitals and red administrations alike as a law-and-order no-brainer. That's exactly the problem. A surveillance infrastructure that both Hochul's office and Trump-aligned federal priorities can agree on is one that's going to keep growing regardless of who wins the next election, unless communities push back at the local level where these contracts actually get signed.
Nicholas's reporting is a reminder that "upstate" doesn't mean "off the grid" anymore — rural towns are getting wired up just as fast as cities, sometimes with even less scrutiny. Check our camera map to see what's already been installed near you, and visit our take-action page if you want to push back before the next town board meeting approves another camera.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of JB Nicholas, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.