STAFF Presents Flock Out Part 3 #flocksafety #cameras #surveillance #alpr

Our Take

Credit where it's due: Southern Tier Alliance Fighting Flock (STAFF), amplified here by Binghamton Solidarity for Palestine, is doing the unglamorous work that actually moves the needle on this issue — walking up to regular people on the sidewalk and asking if they know their city installed license plate readers on their streets. Part 3 of this series keeps the format simple: no narration tricks, no dramatic music, just neighbors finding out in real time that a private company's cameras are logging where they drive, and reacting the way most people do once they understand what Flock Safety actually collects and how long it sticks around in a database that local police, federal agencies, and sometimes other departments entirely can query.

This kind of on-the-ground organizing matters because Flock's spread has mostly happened in the dark — city council votes buried in consent agendas, press releases that talk about 'solving crime' without mentioning retention periods, data-sharing networks, or audit failures. Street interviews cut through that marketing by putting the choice in front of residents directly: did you consent to this, and would you if someone asked? When the answer is a shrug followed by concern, that's the real public opinion data point, not the glowing quote in a police department newsletter.

If this video has you wondering what's actually watching your own commute, check our camera map to see documented ALPR locations near you, and head to our take-action page for concrete steps — from public records requests to council meeting scripts — to push back the way STAFF is doing in Binghamton.