Flock Cameras Don't Fight Crime, They Abuse Power
The short version: Lisa Cabrera's video argues Flock's ALPR network is less about solving crime and more about expanding unchecked surveillance power.
Our Take
The title alone cuts to the chase: Flock Cameras Don't Fight Crime, They Abuse Power. That's the core tension we've been tracking for years. Flock Safety markets its license plate readers as a crime-fighting tool, but the actual use pattern — millions of plates scanned, stored, and shared across jurisdictions with minimal oversight — looks a lot more like a general-purpose tracking system than a targeted investigative tool. Credit to Lisa Cabrera for putting that framing front and center for a wider audience.
This distinction matters because it's the whole ballgame. If ALPRs were narrowly deployed to solve specific crimes with warrants and audits, that's one conversation. But when every plate, every driver, every trip gets logged by default regardless of suspicion, you've built an infrastructure of mass surveillance that can be repurposed by whoever has access — local cops today, ICE or a vindictive ex tomorrow. The capability doesn't care about your intentions once it exists.
We'd encourage anyone who watches this to go look at what's actually been installed in their own backyard. Check our camera map to see Flock deployments near you, and if you want to push back at a city council meeting or file a public records request, our take-action page has templates to get you started.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of Lisa Cabrera, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.