Mayor Smiley & Flock LPR in Brown Case
The short version: Flock's own promo video uses a Providence mayor's praise after a Brown/MIT shooting to sell ALPR expansion, without independent scrutiny of the tech's actual role.
Our Take
This clip comes straight from Flock Safety's corporate channel, not a news outlet — that matters. When the company that sells the cameras also produces the testimonial praising the cameras, we're watching marketing, not evidence. Mayor Smiley's relief after a frightening manhunt is understandable, but a mayor's gratitude in a polished PR reel isn't the same as an independent audit showing exactly what role LPR data played versus tips, campus security footage, or old-fashioned police work.
This is how the ALPR network keeps growing: a high-profile case, a grateful official, a slick video, and suddenly another city council approves more cameras with little public debate about retention policies, audit trails, or who else gets access to that location data once it's collected. Providence residents and visitors are now part of a tracking system that logs their movements regardless of whether they're suspects in anything.
We're not saying the cameras never help solve crimes — sometimes they do. We're saying a single success story shouldn't be the whole conversation. Check our camera map to see what's already watching your own routes, and visit our take-action page if you want a say before the next expansion gets rubber-stamped.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of Flock, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.