The uncomfortable truth about crime data #shorts #crimestats #society

Our Take

This short clip from Business Reform's interview with privacy advocate Benn Jordan pokes at something we talk about constantly: the way "crime data" gets wielded to justify blanket surveillance. Flock Safety and local police departments love to cite numbers — hits, recoveries, arrests — but those figures rarely come with context about false positives, mission creep, or how many of those plates belonged to people who did absolutely nothing wrong. A sharp two-minute clip isn't going to settle that debate, but it's a useful nudge to ask who's counting, what they're counting, and why.

Credit to Business Reform for bringing Benn Jordan's voice into this conversation — he's been a steady presence in the privacy space, and pairing him with a channel that reaches a broader audience is exactly the kind of cross-pollination this issue needs. Crime stats get thrown around in city council meetings to approve new camera contracts almost every week, and most residents never see the raw data or ask whether the readers actually reduced crime versus just generating paperwork.

If this clip gets you thinking about what's actually parked at the end of your street, check our camera map to see what's been documented near you, and head to our take-action page if you want tools to push back at your next council meeting.