Roadside safety concerns prompt nationwide review of Flock camera installations

Our Take

Let that number sink in: more than 100,000 poles, and the company itself isn't sure how many meet basic roadway safety standards. That's not a rounding error — that's a business model built on speed, not scrutiny. Flock Safety got thousands of these cameras bolted up along highways and neighborhood streets by moving fast and leaning on local police departments to sign off, often without independent engineering review or public input. Now the bill for that shortcut is coming due, and it's a literal safety hazard, not just a privacy one.

This is the same pattern we've flagged over and over: a private surveillance vendor embeds itself into public infrastructure with minimal oversight, then asks the public to trust that everything was done right. Turns out that trust wasn't earned. If Flock cut corners on something as basic and verifiable as pole placement and roadway clearance, what confidence should anyone have in how it's handling the flood of location data these cameras generate on every driver who passes by?

Credit to CBS13/WGME in Maine for pushing this story into daylight. If you want to see how deep this network runs near you, check our camera map, and if you're ready to push back on unchecked ALPR expansion in your own town, our take-action page has concrete steps to get started.