A Flock camera investigation is underway in Decatur — this time for vandalism
The short version: Decatur police are now investigating spray-painted, damaged, and turned-around Flock cameras, a sign that public frustration with ALPR surveillance is boiling over into direct action.
Our Take
Credit to JordyBReporting for digging into this one. When a police chief has to stand in front of city leaders and admit that residents are spray-painting, smashing, and physically turning away license plate readers, that's not a vandalism problem — it's a trust problem. Decatur didn't ask its community whether it wanted a web of always-on cameras logging every car that passes. Now some residents are answering with a can of spray paint, which says a lot about how much faith people have left in the normal channels for pushing back.
We don't endorse property destruction, but we understand the impulse. Flock Safety has spread into thousands of towns with little public debate, minimal oversight, and data-sharing agreements that often outlive anyone's ability to track who's actually pulling records and why. When the only response to public objection is 'we're investigating the vandals' rather than 'we're reconsidering the program,' it tells you who the system is built to protect.
If you're in Decatur or anywhere else dealing with a quiet ALPR rollout, there are better levers than a spray can: public records requests, city council meetings, and organized pressure campaigns. Check our camera map to see what's already watching your streets, and hit our take-action page for tools to fight back the legal way.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of JordyBReporting 🎙️, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.