I Used Flock Cameras for 5 Years. Here's What Nobody's Telling You

Our Take

Credit where it's due: Derek Baker brings a rare vantage point most Flock coverage lacks — five years running the system in actual investigations and over a decade in LPR tech before that. When someone who's used the tool daily says "here's what nobody's telling you," it's worth a listen, even if you suspect the framing will lean favorable toward the technology he's spent his career inside.

But practitioner experience and public accountability are two different conversations. The guy running queries day-to-day sees solved cases. He doesn't see the full ledger — how many plates get scanned to close one case, how long that data sits, who else can query it, or what happens when a camera meant for stolen cars ends up mapping someone's commute to a clinic or a church. "Nobody's telling you" usually means nobody with investigative access is required to tell you, not that the information doesn't exist.

That gap between operator confidence and public oversight is exactly why this site exists. If a video like this makes you want to know whether Flock is already reading plates in your own neighborhood, check our camera map — and if you want to push back on deployments happening without real debate, start with our take-action guide.