James Fletes' appeal for transparency from city council
The short version: A resident's 115-day wait for basic Flock contract records shows how cities dodge accountability on ALPR surveillance deals.
Our Take
Credit to Orwell Day for putting a camera on James Fletes' city council appeal, because this is the kind of footage that rarely makes it into local news. A public records request that's supposed to take 10 days stretching to 115 isn't a clerical hiccup — it's a pattern we see over and over when cities try to quietly extend or expand Flock Safety contracts without giving residents a real chance to weigh in before the ink dries.
The specifics of what the city is withholding matter less than the fact that they're withholding it at all. Flock contracts routinely include details on data retention, who gets access to license plate reads, and whether local police are feeding footage into regional or even national sharing networks. When a city slow-walks that information, it's fair to ask what they're worried residents will do once they see it — organize, object, or simply vote differently.
This is exactly why public pressure and paper trails matter. If you're in a town where ALPRs have gone in without a real public debate, check our camera map to see what's already been deployed near you, and use our take-action resources to file your own requests and push your council for answers before 115 days turns into never.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of Orwell Day, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.