Pasadena residents furious over Flock cameras amid privacy concerns
The short version: Pasadena residents are pushing back hard as the city moves to expand its Flock camera network despite mounting privacy objections.
Our Take
ABC7's report captures something we see over and over: a city quietly expands its Flock Safety footprint, and only after the cameras are up—or expansion plans leak out—do residents get a real chance to object. Pasadena is the latest example, with dozens showing up to voice frustration over a system that logs the movements of every driver, regardless of suspicion, and stores that data for other agencies to query.
What makes these stories important isn't just the cameras themselves, it's the pattern. Local councils approve pilot programs or quiet expansions, often citing a handful of crimes solved, while glossing over how many residents get swept into a permanent surveillance net with little oversight, inconsistent audit trails, and data-sharing agreements that can stretch across state lines. Pasadena's anger is a healthy sign that people are catching on before the system becomes normalized and unquestioned.
Credit to ABC7 for putting cameras and mics in front of the people actually affected. If you want to see whether your own neighborhood has been quietly wired up, check our camera map, and if you're ready to push back like Pasadena residents are doing, our take-action page has concrete steps.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of ABC7, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.