'Darth Vader' Testifies In Support Of Flock Cameras in Humorous Act at City Council Meeting

Our Take

Credit to uInterview for surfacing this clip from the City of San Diego's own feed: someone in a Darth Vader costume steps up to public comment and, tongue firmly in cheek, endorses Flock Safety's camera network. It's a funny bit, and we get the joke — even the Empire wants better surveillance infrastructure. But the laugh line points at something real. Public comment periods are often the only formal checkpoint before a city signs a multi-year ALPR contract, and when the loudest voice in the room is a costume gag, it says a lot about how little scrutiny these deals actually get.

Flock's pitch to city councils is always the same: crime is down, cameras are neutral tools, sign here. What rarely gets debated on the record is who else can query that data, how long it's retained, whether it's shared with ICE or out-of-state agencies, and what happens when the system misfires and points a gun at the wrong car. Costumed satire is a good way to get a meeting clipped and shared, but it's not a substitute for residents showing up with pointed questions about audit logs and vendor access.

If your city is currently 'in the process' the way San Diego was, don't leave it to the guy in the Vader suit to represent the public interest. Check our camera map to see what's already been installed near you, and use our take-action page for language you can bring to your own council meeting — minus the cape.