Man accused of destroying Flock cameras in Rio Rancho facing similar charges in Bernalillo County
The short version: KRQE reports a New Mexico man now faces charges in two counties for allegedly destroying Flock ALPR cameras, underscoring growing public anger at unchecked surveillance.
Our Take
KRQE's report on a Rio Rancho man now facing a second round of charges in Bernalillo County for allegedly tearing down Flock cameras is a telling sign of the times. Whatever the courts decide about this individual case, the underlying frustration driving these incidents is real and spreading: communities are waking up to find license plate readers bolted onto poles near their homes with zero public input, no community vote, and little transparency about who has access to the data or how long it's kept.
We don't endorse vigilantism — vandalism carries real legal consequences and doesn't fix the policy problem. But stories like this one are a symptom, not the disease. The disease is police departments and private companies installing mass surveillance infrastructure on public streets without meaningful oversight, then acting surprised when residents push back. If you want to know whether Flock or similar ALPR systems are already watching your neighborhood, check our camera map.
Anger alone won't roll back surveillance creep — organized, lawful pressure will. If this story makes your blood boil, channel it into something that actually works: public records requests, city council meetings, and local ordinances. Our take-action page has the tools. Credit to KRQE for keeping this story in the public eye.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of KRQE, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.