Flock data won’t disappear from criminal cases, defense attorney says

Our Take

Credit to WESH 2 News for getting a defense attorney on record about something we keep hammering on: once Flock's cameras capture your plate, that data doesn't politely disappear just because a court fight or policy change comes along later. It's already been pulled into case files, shared across agencies, and in some instances used to build probable cause. The genie doesn't go back in the bottle.

This is the part of the ALPR debate that often gets lost in press releases about "solving crime" — the permanence and portability of the data trail. Once a network like Flock's exists in your city, it's not just a tool for the case at hand. It becomes a historical ledger of everyone's movements that prosecutors, and sometimes outside agencies with murkier intentions, can mine for years. A defense attorney flagging this publicly is a signal that the legal system itself is starting to grapple with how deeply embedded this surveillance infrastructure has become in everyday casework.

If you want to know whether your own neighborhood is already wired into this network, check our camera map, and if you're ready to push back on unchecked ALPR expansion in your city, our take-action page has concrete steps.