Privacy concerns mount over Flock cameras in Phoenix area | FOX 10 Phoenix
The short version: FOX 10 Phoenix reports Tempe residents and the ACLU are pushing the city to drop its Flock Safety contract over surveillance concerns.
Our Take
Credit to FOX 10 Phoenix for putting a local face on a national problem. Tempe isn't unique — it's just the latest city where residents are waking up to find a network of always-on cameras logging every car that passes, with no vote, no real public debate, and a vendor contract quietly renewed year after year. When the ACLU and everyday residents are showing up to city council meetings asking the same question — why do we have this and who's actually watching the watchers — that's a sign the sales pitch about "just catching bad guys" isn't holding up under scrutiny.
The pattern is familiar: police departments say the data is only used for serious crimes, then records requests or audits reveal broader use, out-of-state data sharing, or access with little oversight. Once a city signs on, walking away is harder than it sounds — budgets get built around it, vendors lobby hard, and "public safety" becomes the trump card against any privacy pushback. Tempe's fight is a test of whether local government actually answers to the people paying for this surveillance or to the company selling it.
If you live in the Phoenix area, don't wait for a headline to tell you a camera is on your street — check our camera map to see what's already been deployed near you, and if you want to push back like Tempe residents are doing, our take-action guide walks through what to say to your council and how to file records requests of your own.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of FOX 10 Phoenix, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.