Pierce Township becomes latest community to end Flock camera contract

Our Take

WLWT reports that Pierce Township has pulled the plug on its Flock Safety contract, joining a growing list of communities that signed up for automated license plate readers and then had second thoughts. These stories are becoming a pattern: a township trustee or council votes yes under the promise of fighting crime, residents start asking who actually has access to the data and how long it's kept, and officials realize they can't answer those questions with any confidence. When the answers are thin, the contracts start looking a lot less appealing.

What makes this notable isn't just one township's reversal — it's that this is happening in small, low-profile local governments, not just big cities with activist councils. That matters because Flock's business model depends on blanketing the country one small contract at a time, stitching together a de facto national surveillance network through thousands of local deals that rarely get scrutinized until someone starts asking questions. Every township that walks away is a crack in that strategy.

Credit to WLWT for covering a local story that's easy to overlook but part of a much bigger fight. If you want to see how dense Flock's camera network is near you, check our map, and if your own town hasn't had this conversation yet, our take-action resources can help you get it started before the ink dries on a new contract.