FLOCK OFF Act: New Bill Could Shut Down Federally Funded Flock Cameras in 180 Days
The short version: A new federal bill, the FLOCK OFF Act, would force agencies to cut Flock ALPR cameras funded by federal dollars within 180 days — a real check on the surveillance sprawl.
Our Take
Hidden America Routine lays out the basics of the FLOCK OFF Act, and if the bill is accurately described, it's one of the more consequential pieces of ALPR-related legislation we've seen move through Congress. Pulling federal funding strings is one of the few levers that can actually force local police departments to rethink their reliance on Flock Safety's network — departments that have spent years bolting up cameras with grant money and little public debate.
What this video underscores, even without digging into the political odds of passage, is how dependent this surveillance buildout has been on federal and state grant programs rather than organic local budgeting. Cut that funding spigot and you expose how many of these camera deployments were never really justified by local demand in the first place — just subsidized convenience for police and a revenue stream for a private company. A 180-day shutdown clock is aggressive, and it's worth watching closely whether lawmakers weaken it before any vote.
Legislation like this doesn't materialize in a vacuum — it's a response to years of reporting, FOIA requests, and residents pushing back on cameras they never consented to. That's the same work we do every day tracking deployments on our map. If you want to see whether your tax dollars or federal grants are bankrolling a camera near you, start there, then head to our take-action page to tell your representatives where you stand on bills like this one.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of Hidden America Routine, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.