DC Councilmember pushes for transparency from MPD on Flock cameras
The short version: A DC councilmember finally asked MPD the basic questions residents deserve answers to: how Flock cameras are used, who sees the data, and for how long.
Our Take
Credit where it's due: ABC 7's Kevin Lewis (WJLA) caught a rare moment of an elected official doing her job — Councilmember Brooke Pinto fired off ten pointed questions to MPD about its Flock Safety camera network. That MPD hasn't already published clear answers to questions like retention periods, audit logs, and data-sharing partners tells you everything about how these systems get deployed: quietly, with oversight bolted on as an afterthought only when someone on the dais finally asks.
This is the pattern we track everywhere Flock rolls out. Cities buy the cameras first and write the policy later, if at all. Ten basic questions shouldn't require a councilmember's letterhead to get answered — that information should be public by default, updated in real time, and searchable by any resident who wants to know if a camera is scanning their commute. The fact that it takes political pressure just to get a baseline accounting of who can query the system and who checks the checkers is the whole scandal in miniature.
D.C. residents wondering what's already watching them don't have to wait for MPD's answers to start looking. Check our camera map to see what's been documented in your neighborhood, and if you want to push your own council member the way Pinto is pushing MPD, our take-action page has the tools to do it.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of ABC 7 News - WJLA, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.