Flock Cameras Cry Wolf
The short version: A 71% false-positive rate on Flock alerts, flagged by YouTuber NewTechGuy, shows these cameras are chasing ghosts while treating every driver as a suspect.
Our Take
Credit to NewTechGuy for digging into Roseville PD's own numbers: 71% of Flock alerts turned out to be misreads, not real hits. That's not a rounding error, that's a system crying wolf most of the time it opens its mouth. Every one of those false alerts still means an officer runs a plate, maybe pulls someone over, maybe treats a random commuter like a fugitive, all based on a camera that got it wrong seven times out of ten.
This is the part Flock's marketing never leads with. The pitch is 'public safety,' but the reality on the ground is a dragnet that logs every passing car, right or wrong, and feeds local police a firehose of noise dressed up as intelligence. When the tool is wrong this often, the question isn't just accuracy, it's why departments keep buying something that functions more like mass surveillance theater than actual policing.
If you want to see whether this kind of system is already watching your street, check our camera map, and if you're ready to push back on your local department or city council, our take-action page has the tools to start.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of NewTechGuy, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.