Flock cameras credited with helping solve case of dead baby
The short version: ABC7 highlights Flock ALPRs aiding a California manhunt after a baby's death, but one dramatic case shouldn't justify blanket, unregulated plate surveillance.
Our Take
ABC7's report is the kind of story Flock Safety loves to see: a horrific crime, a fast manhunt, and a camera network cast as the hero. Credit to the ABC7 team for covering the case itself, but it's worth stepping back and asking the question these segments never do — how many plates, belonging to how many innocent people, got scanned and logged to catch these two suspects?
That's the trade-off that rarely makes it into local news coverage. Flock's pitch to city councils is always built on the worst-case scenario: the abducted child, the fleeing suspect, the case that "wouldn't have been solved" without ALPR data. What gets left out is that the same cameras are quietly building a permanent, searchable record of where every driver goes, every day, whether or not they're ever suspected of anything. One solved case doesn't erase thousands of unrelated vehicle logs sitting in a database with little independent oversight.
We're not disputing that these systems can help in genuine emergencies. We're saying a single tragic headline shouldn't be the justification for normalizing dragnet surveillance in every town in America. Check the map to see what's already watching your neighborhood, and visit take action if you want to push back on unchecked ALPR expansion where you live.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of ABC7, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.