DEFLOCK GRASS VALLEY- me on ABC10 Sacramento
The short version: A Grass Valley resident took the Flock fight to local TV, and it's exactly the kind of grassroots pressure that makes city councils nervous.
Our Take
Credit where it's due: BaptainsCupboard didn't just complain online, they got their objections to Flock Safety cameras in front of ABC10 Sacramento's cameras and pointed viewers straight at Grass Valley Mayor Hilary Hodge. That's the move. Local officials approve these ALPR contracts in quiet council sessions assuming nobody's watching — getting local news to ask questions changes the calculus fast.
Grass Valley is a small town, but it's not too small for mass surveillance infrastructure to show up uninvited. Flock's pitch is always the same — a few stolen cars recovered, a handful of plates flagged — while the actual product is a searchable log of everywhere every driver in town goes, shared across a national network with zero warrant required. Small cities are often the easiest sell because there's less scrutiny and fewer reporters paying attention. This video is proof that doesn't have to stay true.
If you're in Grass Valley or anywhere else dealing with a new Flock rollout, don't wait for a TV crew to show up — check our camera map to see what's already been documented near you, and use our take-action resources to put the same kind of pressure on your own city council before the contract is signed, not after.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of BaptainsCupboard, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.