Taking a chainsaw to these flock cameras. #flock #deflock #chainsaw #lawyer #police
The short version: A viral clip of a chainsaw meeting a Flock camera pole captures the raw frustration many communities feel toward unaccountable ALPR surveillance, even if vigilante destruction isn't the answer.
Our Take
Creator John Collins' clip, half shock-value stunt and half legal commentary, taps into something real: people are fed up with license plate reader cameras popping up on their streets without a vote, a hearing, or even a clear explanation of who's watching the data. Whether or not you laugh at the chainsaw, the underlying anger is legitimate — Flock Safety's network has expanded into thousands of towns with little public debate about retention periods, data sharing with ICE and other agencies, or what happens when the system misfires and sends police to the wrong car.
We don't endorse property destruction — it's illegal, it gets people hurt or prosecuted, and it hands Flock and local police a convenient 'vandal' narrative that distracts from the actual policy failures. The real leverage is in public records requests, city council meetings, and local elections where these contracts get approved in the first place. Destroying one pole doesn't stop the surveillance — it just gets replaced, probably with better anti-tamper housing.
If you want to know where these cameras actually are in your area, check our camera map, and if you'd rather channel that frustration into something that sticks, our take-action page has real steps for pushing back through your city government instead of a Stihl.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of John Collins, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.