Video: Auburn City Councilor Craig Diego on Flock contract
The short version: An Auburn city councilor is publicly weighing whether to cancel the city's Flock contract, a sign that ALPR pushback is reaching elected officials directly.
Our Take
Credit to The Citizen Newspaper for getting a sitting councilor on record about walking back a Flock Safety deal. Most of these contracts get signed with zero public debate, so watching a local official openly reconsider one is worth paying attention to, even without knowing yet how the vote will land.
This is exactly the kind of leverage point residents should be working: city council meetings, budget line items, and contract renewal dates. Flock's business model depends on cities quietly auto-renewing year after year without anyone asking hard questions about cost, data sharing, or whether the cameras actually reduce crime. When a councilor starts asking those questions out loud, it opens the door for the public to weigh in before the next renewal cycle locks in.
If you're in Auburn or anywhere else with ALPRs on the poles, check our camera map to see what's already been deployed near you, and use our take-action guide to show up at the next council meeting before the contract renews itself by default.
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.