Flock now uses Bluetooth to track you #flock #julian #juliandorey

Our Take

Credit to Julian Extracts for clipping this moment from the Julian Dorey show, because it puts a plain-language spotlight on something we've been watching closely: Flock Safety's hardware isn't just reading plates anymore. If these systems are pulling in Bluetooth signals, that means the network can potentially fingerprint phones, fitness trackers, and other devices carried by pedestrians, cyclists, and passengers — not just vehicles. That's a meaningful expansion of who gets swept into the dragnet.

This matters because the entire public pitch for ALPR networks has always been "we're just reading plates on public roads." Adding Bluetooth detection quietly moves the goalposts toward tracking people themselves, regardless of whether they're in a car at all. It's the kind of mission creep that happens one firmware update at a time, usually without a public vote or a community briefing.

We can't verify every technical claim made in a short clip, but the pattern fits what we've documented for years: capability expands first, oversight catches up later, if ever. Check our map to see what's already deployed near you, and if your town hasn't had a real debate about what these cameras — and now apparently Bluetooth sensors — are collecting, use our take-action resources to push for one.