Fort Thomas, Kentucky Mayor Andy Ellison announced they’re pulling Flock cameras. #Flock #News
The short version: Fort Thomas, Kentucky's mayor says the city is pulling its Flock cameras, and it's another sign that local pushback on ALPR surveillance is gaining real traction.
Our Take
Credit to Kacee Allen for getting this on record: a sitting mayor publicly announcing that Fort Thomas is walking back its Flock Safety deployment. That's not a nothing-burger. Most of these contracts get renewed quietly, year after year, with little council debate and even less public scrutiny. When an elected official stands up and says "we're done," it means someone inside city hall actually ran the numbers on cost, efficacy, or public trust — and the cameras didn't pencil out.
This matters because the entire ALPR industry depends on inertia. Flock's business model leans on cities treating these systems as a permanent fixture once installed, rarely asking whether the thousands of plate scans a day are actually solving crime or just building a searchable location history on every driver who passes through town. A small Kentucky city pumping the brakes is a useful data point for every other city council quietly rubber-stamping renewal invoices without asking the same questions.
If you're in a town that still has these cameras up, don't wait for your mayor to make the first move — check our camera map to see what's already watching your streets, and use our take-action resources to push your own local officials toward the kind of accountability Fort Thomas just delivered.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of Kacee Allen, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.