Tempe Turns Off Flock License Plate Reader Cameras #breakingnews #arizona #news
The short version: Tempe pulled the plug on its Flock ALPR contract — proof that organized pushback can actually force a city to switch the cameras off.
Our Take
Credit to iSkyNews and Media for getting this on record: Tempe didn't just quietly let a Flock contract lapse, it shut the cameras down and is walking away from the company entirely. That's a rare outcome in this fight, and it matters. Most cities renew on autopilot, burying the decision in a consent agenda item nobody reads. When a city council actually reverses course, it's usually because residents showed up, asked hard questions about data retention and vendor access, and refused to accept "it's just for solving crimes" as the end of the conversation.
Tempe joining the (still short) list of municipalities that have walked back ALPR deployments is a signal to every other city sitting on a renewal: this is not inevitable infrastructure. It's a purchasing decision, and purchasing decisions can be unmade. Flock's pitch depends on cities treating these networks as permanent fixtures rather than optional, re-votable contracts. Every off-switch chips away at that assumption.
If you want to know whether your own city is quietly running the same system Tempe just dropped, check our camera map to see what's nearby, and visit our take-action page for the playbook on pushing your council to reconsider before the next renewal vote.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of iSkyNews and Media, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.