Cottage Grove Board voted to stop using Flock cameras
The short version: Cottage Grove's board pulled the plug on Flock ALPRs, proving local pushback can actually roll back surveillance contracts once they're signed.
Our Take
Credit to WMTV15 News for the catch: a local board actually voted to stop using Flock Safety's license plate readers. That's not a headline you see every day. Most of these contracts get renewed quietly, year after year, with little public scrutiny. Cottage Grove's decision is a reminder that these systems aren't permanent fixtures once installed — they're line items that elected officials can, and sometimes do, cut.
We don't have the full backstory on what drove the vote, whether it was cost, effectiveness, privacy concerns, or some combination. But the broader pattern matters: communities across the country are starting to ask whether a network of always-on cameras logging every passing vehicle is worth the price tag, both financial and civil-liberties-wise. When a board says no, it chips away at the industry narrative that ALPR adoption is inevitable and irreversible.
If you want to see whether Flock cameras are watching your own neighborhood, check our camera map, and if you're ready to push your local council toward a vote like Cottage Grove's, our take-action page has the tools to get started.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of WMTV | News, Weather & Sports, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.