📸 A license plate reader camera in Putnam has been moved after a unanimous vote by town officials.
The short version: Putnam, Connecticut officials voted unanimously to relocate a Flock Safety license plate reader, proof that public pressure can force change on ALPR placement.
Our Take
Credit to Sheena Sells Connecticut for tracking this one down: a Flock Safety camera in Putnam got moved after town officials voted unanimously to relocate it. We don't know the exact complaint that triggered the move — maybe it was aimed at a private driveway, maybe residents didn't like being tracked every time they left their own neighborhood — but the outcome matters more than the details. A unanimous vote to relocate a surveillance camera doesn't happen unless enough people showed up and made noise.
This is the pattern we keep seeing across the country: local governments approve these ALPR contracts with almost no public debate, then residents find out after the fact that a camera is logging their every trip to the grocery store, church, or a friend's house. Once people realize what's actually being collected — and who can access it — pushback follows. Putnam is a small town, but small towns adding up is exactly how this technology has quietly blanketed the country.
If you want to know whether Flock or another ALPR vendor has cameras near you, check our camera map, and if you're ready to push back at a town meeting like Putnam residents apparently did, our take-action page has tools to get started.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of Sheena Sells Connecticut, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.