Trenton Police Chief Patrick Carr Defends Use of Flock Cameras

Our Take

WCPO 9's sit-down with Trenton Police Chief Patrick Carr follows a familiar script: community members raise concerns about license plate readers, and the chief responds with reassurances about safeguards. That's useful reporting as far as it goes, but "we have safeguards" is not the same as showing the public an audit log, a retention policy, or a list of which outside agencies can query Trenton's camera network. Chiefs across the country say similar things right up until a misuse scandal breaks.

The pattern we track at DeFlock is simple: these systems get installed quietly, defended reactively once residents notice them, and almost never get rolled back no matter how the debate goes. Carr's defense of Flock cameras in Trenton is one more data point in a surveillance buildout that now spans thousands of communities, most of which never got a real public vote on whether they wanted their drives logged and stored. Check our camera map to see what's already watching your routes.

Credit to WCPO 9 for putting a local official on record, but accountability means more than a friendly interview. If Trenton residents want real answers, the next step is pushing for public access to usage audits and a hard cap on retention and sharing, not just a chief's word that it's all fine. Our take-action page has concrete steps for making that happen in your own city council.