Flock cameras are coming down all over Jacksonville
The short version: Jacksonville's sheriff ordered Flock ALPR cameras disconnected and removed, a rare reversal that shows local pressure can actually roll back surveillance infrastructure.
Our Take
First Coast News is reporting something you don't see often: a sheriff pulling the plug on his own department's license plate reader network. When Sheriff T.K. Waters orders Flock cameras disconnected and removed across Jacksonville, that's not a routine budget tweak — it's an admission that the program raised enough concern, legal or political, to warrant walking it back entirely.
We don't yet know the full reasoning behind the order, and we won't speculate beyond what's been reported. But the pattern matters more than the specifics: once these cameras go up, they rarely come down voluntarily. Departments usually expand coverage, not retreat from it. Whatever combination of oversight failures, public records fights, or community pushback got us here, Jacksonville is proof that these systems aren't inevitable or permanent once installed.
Credit to First Coast News for tracking this story as it develops. If you want to see whether ALPRs are watching your own neighborhood, check our camera map, and if you'd rather not wait for a reversal like Jacksonville's to happen near you, our take-action page has concrete steps for pushing back now.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of First Coast News, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.