Flock camera concerns take center stage in Monterey Park
The short version: Monterey Park officials renewed their Flock contract for nearly three dozen ALPR cameras despite public pushback, and CBS LA caught the friction on camera.
Our Take
CBS LA's report on Monterey Park is a familiar pattern by now: a city council quietly rubber-stamps another year (or more) of Flock Safety surveillance, residents show up to object, and officials push forward anyway. Nearly three dozen cameras logging every plate that passes through town isn't a minor traffic tool — it's a permanent record of who drives where, built without a warrant and often without real public input before the contract ink dries.
What's notable here is the timing. These re-signings tend to happen fast, with little advance notice, right as scrutiny of Flock's data-sharing practices and lack of federal oversight is growing nationally. Credit to CBS LA for putting a camera in front of the people this actually affects and showing that "concern" isn't hypothetical — it's residents on record pushing back against a surveillance apparatus they never got a real vote on.
If you live in or near Monterey Park, check our map to see exactly how many ALPRs are watching your streets, and head to take action for tools to push your own council before the next contract renewal sneaks through.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of CBS LA, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.