Data privacy concerns prompted Flock camera pushback before EPPD canceled contract
The short version: El Paso killed a 150-camera Flock deal after public pushback over data privacy — proof that organized scrutiny can actually stop ALPR expansion before it starts.
Our Take
Credit to KTSM 9 News for tracking this one through to the end: El Paso's police department floated a 150-camera Flock Safety rollout, residents raised hell about data privacy, and the contract got canceled. That sequence matters. Most cities we cover sign first and face questions later, if ever. El Paso is a rare case where public pressure arrived before the cameras went live, not after a scandal forced a reckoning.
It's worth remembering what was actually at stake: 150 networked license plate readers feeding a searchable database of where every car in the city goes, shared across agencies with little independent oversight and a well-documented history of license-sharing abuse elsewhere. "Combat crime" is the pitch in every city council meeting, but the actual product is a permanent movement record on anyone who drives through town, guilty or not.
El Paso shows this fight is winnable when people show up before the vote, not just after the cameras are bolted to poles. Check our camera map to see what's already deployed near you, and if your city is debating a contract right now, use our take-action resources to get ahead of it like El Paso did.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of KTSM 9 NEWS, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.