Flock worker calls police on our reporter
The short version: A Flock contractor called police on an InvestigateTV reporter for filming a public camera install, exposing the industry's discomfort with the scrutiny it inflicts on everyone else.
Our Take
Credit to InvestigateTV's Brendan Keefe for standing his ground on a public street while a Flock Safety worker decided that filming a camera installation was somehow worth a 911 call. The irony writes itself: a company that bolts cameras onto poles to track every car that passes, no warrant needed, got flustered the moment someone pointed a lens back at them. If Flock's own installers are jumpy about being documented on public property, maybe they understand better than anyone how unsettling constant observation actually feels.
This isn't just an awkward field moment, it's a window into how the ALPR industry treats accountability. These systems are installed with little public input, often justified with vague promises about solving crime, and defended aggressively whenever a reporter, a city council member, or an ordinary resident asks pointed questions. Calling the cops on a journalist doing his job is a small but telling sign of a company more comfortable operating in the dark than explaining itself in daylight.
If you want to know whether one of these cameras is already watching your block, check our camera map, and if you're ready to push back against unchecked plate-reader surveillance in your own town, our take-action page is the place to start.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of InvestigateTV, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.