Darth Vader 'supports' Flock cameras

Our Take

Credit to KRCG 13 for capturing a moment that's funnier than most city council footage deserves to be — a man in full Darth Vader regalia telling San Diego lawmakers that "the emperor is a fan of Flock." It's a bit, sure, but it's also a pretty efficient way to make a point that gets lost in the usual public-safety-versus-privacy framing: ALPR networks don't care who's wearing the uniform. The cameras log every plate that rolls by, rain or shine, Jedi or Sith, and the data sits in a database that outlives whichever administration approved it.

That's the actual debate hiding behind the costume. Flock pitches itself to city councils as a tool for catching car thieves and amber-alert suspects, and sometimes it does that. But the same always-on network can just as easily be queried by an ICE agent, a stalker with a badge, or a future official with very different priorities than the ones who signed the original contract. San Diego's council meeting is one of dozens happening in cities across the country right now, and the Vader bit landed because it cut through the procedural fog and said the quiet part out loud: whoever controls the system, controls what it's used for.

If your town hasn't had its own Flock debate yet, it probably will. Check our camera map to see what's already watching your neighborhood, and if you want to push back before the council vote happens, our take-action page has the tools to do it without needing a costume.