Are Flock Cameras Keeping Us Safe… or Watching Us? 👀
The short version: WestCoast Unplugged asks the right question about Flock cameras — not whether they catch criminals, but how much of our daily movement police should be able to track.
Our Take
Credit to WestCoast Unplugged for framing this the right way: the debate was never really about whether ALPRs can help solve a crime here or there. It's about what happens when a private company's camera network quietly becomes the backbone of local police surveillance, logging where you drive, when, and how often — with little public input and even less oversight.
That "line" the video gestures at is the whole ballgame. Once a city council signs a Flock contract, the system doesn't just watch suspects — it watches everyone, indiscriminately, and stores that data for other agencies to query later. Most residents never voted on that trade-off, and most don't know the cameras are even there until someone points them out.
If this video has you looking twice at intersections in your own town, that's the point. Check our camera map to see what's already been documented near you, and head to take action if you want to push back at a city council meeting or file a records request.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of WestCoast Unplugged, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.