Video: Diego on Flock license plate readers
The short version: An Auburn city councilor's on-camera comments about Flock license plate readers show how local officials rarely get pressed on the hard questions.
Our Take
Credit to The Citizen Newspaper for getting a sitting city councilor, Craig Diego, on record about Flock license plate readers in Auburn. That's exactly the kind of local accountability journalism this issue needs more of — most city councils adopt these systems with a five-minute presentation from a vendor rep and zero public debate. When an elected official is willing to talk about it on camera, even briefly, it's worth paying attention to what he says and, just as important, what he doesn't say.
The recurring problem with these local conversations is that they tend to stay surface-level: is the technology helping solve crimes, sure, maybe. What almost never gets asked is who else has access to the data, how long it's retained, whether it's shared with other agencies or federal databases, and what happens when the system misfires and flags an innocent driver. Auburn residents deserve those specifics in writing, not just a councilor's general comfort level with 'other cameras in the city.'
If you want to see whether Auburn's Flock cameras — or ones near you — are already mapped, check our camera map. And if you think your city council should be answering the harder questions before renewing any ALPR contract, our take-action page has tools to help you show up and ask them.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of The Citizen Newspaper, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.