Flock cameras face scrutiny in Massachusetts over privacy and police misuse
The short version: WCVB reports Massachusetts towns are dropping Flock ALPRs amid privacy fears and documented police misuse of the data.
Our Take
Credit to WCVB Channel 5 Boston for putting a spotlight on something we've been tracking for a while: once local officials and residents actually learn how Flock's license plate readers work — and who gets to peek into that data — the enthusiasm cools fast. This report says the debate is "raging" across Massachusetts communities, with some towns walking back their contracts after finding evidence of police misuse. That's not a hypothetical risk anymore. It's happening in real departments, in real time.
This is the pattern we keep seeing nationwide: a vendor pitches a network of always-on cameras as a narrow tool for solving specific crimes, then the guardrails turn out to be thinner than promised. Officers run searches with no case number attached, data gets shared across jurisdictions and even out of state, and the public only finds out when a reporter or an audit forces it into the open. Massachusetts residents pushing back deserve real credit — public pressure is still the most reliable check on this technology, because state law hasn't caught up.
If you live in Massachusetts or anywhere else, don't wait for a news investigation to tell you a camera showed up on your street. Check our map to see what's already been deployed near you, and use our take-action guide if you want to push your city council or select board to demand real transparency before renewing — or signing — a Flock contract.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of WCVB Channel 5 Boston, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.