FLOCK ABUSE & SECRET CONNECTIONS? Two Sheriff’s Offices??

Our Take

This story, first surfaced by Reno Cop Watch and dug into further by Auditing Reno 911, is exactly the kind of case that should worry anyone who's been told Flock's license plate readers are only used for "serious crimes." A deputy allegedly using the system off the books for personal surveillance, then resigning once questions started flying, isn't a glitch in the system — it's a preview of what happens when a powerful tracking network runs with minimal audit trails and even less public accountability. The added wrinkle of cross-jurisdictional ties between the Carson City and Washoe County Sheriff's Offices only raises the stakes: once plate data crosses agency lines, good luck figuring out who's watching whom and why.

It's also worth noting the broader context the creator brings to this: his own run-in with the same deputy over simply filming in a public park. Whether or not the two incidents are legally connected, they paint a familiar pattern — officers comfortable stretching authority against citizens exercising basic rights, operating inside a surveillance apparatus that was sold to the public as narrowly scoped and tightly controlled. Every time one of these systems gets abused, it's a reminder that "trust us" policies are not oversight.

Credit to Auditing Reno 911 for pushing this into the open. If you want to see whether a Flock camera is watching your own neighborhood, check our map, and if you're ready to push back on unchecked ALPR deployment locally, our take-action page is the place to start.