Flock Safety technology helps prevent crimes across GA

Our Take

WALB News 10 gives Albany, Georgia a month-one progress report on its new Flock Safety rollout, pairing license plate readers with gunshot detection. It's the kind of segment local news runs constantly: a police spokesperson says the tech is helping, the anchor nods, and the story ends. What's missing is any real accounting — how many plates get scanned, who can access that data, how long it's stored, and whether any of this is actually driving down crime versus just generating more surveillance.

That's the pattern across the country. A department stands up a network of always-on cameras, touts an early win or two, and local coverage repeats the talking points without asking who's watching the watchers. One month isn't a track record, it's a marketing window. Cities like Albany deserve reporting that pushes past the press conference and into the actual policy: retention limits, audit logs, and whether neighboring agencies can pull data without a warrant.

Credit to WALB for at least putting the technology on residents' radar — that's more than a lot of outlets do. But if you live in or near Albany, don't wait for the six-month follow-up to find out how this system actually works. Check our map to see what's already been deployed near you, and use our take-action resources to push your city council for real transparency before the next camera goes up.