Flock is okay with putting cameras up to spy on everyone. #firstamendmentaudit #crime #cops #fyp

Our Take

Tactical Anthony's video does what a lot of local reporting won't: it walks right up to the cameras and asks the obvious question — who signed off on watching every driver who passes by? The clip is short on polish and long on the kind of direct confrontation that first-amendment audits are known for, and that's exactly why it matters. When a Flock representative or installer shrugs and says this is just how it works now, that shrug is the story.

Flock Safety routinely frames its network as a tool aimed at solving crime, but the architecture doesn't discriminate between a wanted felon and someone driving to church, a protest, or a divorce lawyer's office. Every plate gets logged, time-stamped, and stored, searchable later by any agency with access — and increasingly, agencies far outside the city that paid for the camera. Videos like this one matter because they put a human face and a direct question in front of the people building that infrastructure, instead of letting it hide behind press releases.

We don't know everyone's local camera count without looking, so check our map to see what's already watching your streets, and if you want to push back at a city council meeting or public records request, our take-action page has a starting point. Credit to Tactical Anthony for getting footage most outlets won't bother to chase.