We Talk Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) Tech With ACLU RI Policy Associate Hannah Stern
The short version: A 2021 Coalition Radio interview with ACLU RI's Hannah Stern shows local ALPR pushback isn't new — it's a fight that's been building for years while Flock's footprint keeps growing.
Our Take
Credit to The Coalition Radio Network for digging up this 2021 conversation with Hannah Stern of the ACLU of Rhode Island, recorded right as her organization was publicly calling on Cranston, Pawtucket, and Woonsocket to halt their license plate reader programs. It's a useful reminder that the alarm bells around ALPR surveillance aren't some new phenomenon dreamed up by privacy advocates in the Flock era — civil liberties groups were raising the same red flags on local government overreach, data retention, and warrantless tracking years before Flock Safety became a household name in local politics.
What stands out listening back is how little the core arguments have changed. Whether it's Rhode Island city councils in 2021 or town halls across the country today, the pattern repeats: police departments quietly roll out camera networks, communities find out after the fact, and it takes organizations like the ACLU to force a public conversation about who's collecting this data, how long it's kept, and who gets access to it. Stern's policy-focused breakdown is worth a listen for anyone trying to understand the legal and civil liberties framing that predates the current wave of Flock deployments blanketing neighborhoods nationwide.
If you're in Rhode Island or anywhere else wondering whether your town has quietly joined this dragnet, check our camera map to see what's already been documented near you, and visit our take-action page for concrete steps to push back at the local level before these systems become permanent fixtures.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of The Coalition Radio Network, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.