This Ain't Your Average Camera-The Flock Cameras Has Competition?

Our Take

R.C Entertainment's field footage from San Diego is a useful reminder that Flock Safety isn't the only player in the license-plate-reader game — it's just the loudest one. Whenever a new brand of camera shows up bolted to a pole, it usually means the same basic playbook: quiet installs, little public notice, and data flowing into systems most residents never agreed to and can't opt out of. Competition among ALPR vendors doesn't mean competition for your privacy protections; it usually means more cameras, more vendors holding your travel history, and more agencies to track down when you ask who's watching.

What matters here isn't the brand name on the housing, it's the pattern: these systems get deployed on public streets and in private developments alike, often stitched together into regional sharing networks, with almost no local debate about retention limits, audits, or who gets access. A second manufacturer entering the market just widens the surveillance footprint without adding transparency. Credit to the creator for actually going out and documenting hardware on the ground — that kind of legwork is exactly how communities start noticing what's been installed around them.

If you've spotted unfamiliar camera gear on your commute, check it against our camera map and help fill in the gaps, and if you want to push back on unchecked ALPR expansion in your city, our take-action page has concrete next steps.