Update on Bismarck’s Flock cameras 👀
The short version: 701 Report found Bismarck PD quietly taps a privately owned Flock camera network, raising fresh questions about oversight even with access limited to one officer.
Our Take
Credit to 701 Report for digging into this one, because "privately owned Flock network" is exactly the kind of phrase that should set off alarm bells. When a police department doesn't own the cameras but still gets access to the data, it sidesteps the normal public procurement process, the city council votes, and a lot of the paper trail that would otherwise let residents of Bismarck know this surveillance tool exists in their town at all.
The detail that access is limited to "only one officer" sounds like a reassurance, but it's not much of a safeguard. One officer with a login can run searches, share results informally, or simply become the single point of failure for abuse. The real questions are who owns this network, what triggers a search, how long plate data is kept, and whether there's any independent audit — none of which get solved by limiting the number of names on an access list.
This is the quiet, backdoor version of ALPR expansion we keep seeing nationwide: a private entity builds the surveillance infrastructure, and local police borrow it without the public debate that would come with buying their own system. If you want to see what's already deployed near you, check our camera map, and if Bismarck's setup bothers you, our take-action page has steps for pushing your city council for real transparency.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of 701 Report, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.