Town ends partnership with Flock cameras

Our Take

A unanimous vote to rip out Flock cameras after only a few months on the poles is a big deal, and credit to NBC 10 WJAR for covering it. Most towns sign these contracts with little scrutiny, let the system run for years, and only face questions after a misuse scandal breaks. South Kingstown's council didn't wait for that — they looked at what they'd bought and decided it wasn't worth keeping.

That's the real story here: elected officials reversing course on surveillance infrastructure once they actually examine it. Flock's pitch is always the same — safer streets, faster investigations — but the fine print rarely gets read until it's too late. A quick unwind like this is rare, and it shows local pressure and council diligence can still work before a network of plate readers becomes permanent furniture.

If you want to see whether your own town has signed on, check our camera map, and if you'd rather not wait for a scandal to force the conversation, our take-action page has the steps for pushing your council to ask the same hard questions South Kingstown just answered.