Huntington passes resolution to install Flock Cameras

Our Take

A 6-4 vote isn't a mandate — it's a council split right down the middle on whether Huntington needs a network of always-on cameras logging every car that passes. Credit to WOWK 13 News for getting this on record, because these contracts tend to sail through with far less scrutiny than they deserve. Four members apparently had real reservations, and the public deserves to know what those were: cost, data retention, who gets access to the plate reads, and whether any of this actually reduces crime or just reduces privacy.

This is the same playbook we've watched roll out in city after city — a pitch about stolen cars and Amber Alerts, a quick vote, and suddenly every resident's daily movements are being logged in a database that outlives the council members who approved it. Flock markets itself as a tool for cops, but the data doesn't stay siloed. It gets pooled into a national network, shared across jurisdictions, and stored well beyond the moment any actual crime occurred.

Huntington residents who want to know exactly where these cameras are going up — and how many already blanket their state — can check our camera map. If you think a 6-4 vote shouldn't be the end of the conversation, here's how to push back before the contract becomes permanent infrastructure nobody remembers approving.