Flock, the company used by BCSO for license plate readers, has been replaced by Axon
The short version: BCSO ditched Flock for Axon ALPR cameras over 'privacy concerns,' then announced it won't disclose where the new cameras go.
Our Take
Swapping one surveillance vendor for another isn't a privacy win, it's a rebrand. BCSO's move from Flock to Axon says less about protecting Bernalillo County residents and more about which company gets the contract and the data pipeline. Axon's ALPR tech works the same way Flock's does: fixed cameras logging every plate that passes, building a searchable database of where you've been.
The part that should raise eyebrows is Sheriff Allen's decision to keep the new camera locations secret. If privacy was really the concern, transparency about placement would be step one, not something to hide. Secret camera sites don't reduce surveillance, they just remove the public's ability to know when and where they're being tracked, and make it that much harder for journalists, defense attorneys, or ordinary residents to hold the program accountable.
Credit to KOAT for surfacing this switch, but the bigger story is that mass license plate tracking in Bernalillo County isn't going away, it's just changing logos. Check our map to see what's already documented near you, and head to take action if you want to push back on secrecy around these systems.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of KOAT, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.