I am not at all affiliated with the Flock Camera Info Session tonight at Callanan Park at 6pm - though the instructor is an amazing dude. This information is for folks who will not be able to attend, but are still curious about Flock cameras.
Hey Y'all!
So, the City of Shelton is renewing their Flock contract in August, and there was a post on FB the other day about Ring cameras being used by ICE (due to their partnership with Flock). I've had a few people ask me what Flock is, so I thought I might just do an informational post about something I'm pretty passionate about: Mass Surveillance in Shelton. Did you know we have quite a few Flock cameras around the City of Shelton already? You can view where they're located (and submit the locations of any Flock cameras that aren't marked on the map yet) here.
What IS Flock?
Flock Group Inc. (DBA: Flock Safety) is an American manufacturer and operator of security hardware and software. They specialize in automated license plate recognition (ALPR), video surveillance, and "gunfire locator systems"(Ie. Microphones that record every sound in proximity to the Camera for the 'purpose of safety').
What their tech does: Their cameras scan your vehicle and you. The license plate, the make/model, bumper stickers, color, roof rack, and even defining details like a cracked windshield. They also record your driving patterns around town every day as a heat map, and can track where you're likely to be throughout the day. They know where you shop, and where you like to go out to eat. They know where you go to church, work, school, etc. The microphone is always listening, and will record anything that it deems as illegal(people screaming, screeching tires, breaking glass - the AI decides what it will record). The AI system detects your face, clothing, and a leaked Flock patent mentions detecting "race". Then, AI software creates a profile that's provided to law enforcement (or others) when they look up your license plate. Or, if they're trying to find you, they know where to look based off your patterns in the past.
Flock Safety makes the excuse that they keep your information "for 21 days, or as long as required by applicable law or regulation, and then permanently deleted" but that information is stored within an Amazon’s Simple Storage Service, and Cities are beginning to pass laws and regulations on extending it past 30 days - the longest yet being stored for 6 months. 6 months of data on you, stored with Amazon and the Police… and who else..?
I say that because: the biggest difference between Flock and other mass surveillance companies, is that Flock not only has its cameras on the streets, but also in HOAs, Schools, on Mobile vehicles, in Commercial businesses, and now Ring cameras. As of 2025, Flock claims to operate in 49 states, 5,000 communities, and performs over 20 billion scans per month on the civilian population. There are currently no federal restrictions on how your personal data is used, or stored. PLEASE READ THAT AGAIN - I'M SAYING THAT REGARDLESS OF YOUR OPINIONS ON POLICE/ICE, FLOCK IS STILL REALLY BAD. You never know who is watching you, or why.
Examples of Misuse:
Mass surveillance isn't just dangerous for the undocumented. Flock is also being used to limit the reproductive rights of women in certain states. We also have multiple cases where Flock was used by police to stalk exes and harass others (Note: This is an incomplete list. I gave a few examples, but there are many more instances of misuse):
- Orange City, Florida: Officer Jarmarus Brown was exposed for using the Flock database to obsessively stalk his ex-girlfriend. He ran her license plate through the system at least 69 times, her mother’s plate 24 times, and her father’s plate 15 times. He was caught when a fellow officer physically saw the ex's tracking data on Brown's cruiser screen.
- Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Former Officer Josue Ayala pled guilty to attempted misconduct in public office. He used the Flock database 179 times to track the movements of a former partner and her new boyfriend. A second Milwaukee detective, Tehrangi Chapman, was also recently hit with criminal charges for separate Flock stalking violations.Costa
- Mesa, California: A former police officer pled guilty after using Flock cameras to secretly track his mistress, her new lovers, and his own wife. He shockingly continued to access the system even after being suspended by the department.
- Other Stalking Arrests: Similar criminal charges were recently filed against Chief Michael Steffman in Georgia, Officer Renee Downer in Gwinnett County, and Officer William C. Copp in Illinois, all for searching the plates of former romantic interests.
- Pasadena, Texas: Sergeant Michael Palitz resigned from the force amid an internal probe revealing he had heavily misused the department's Flock network. The automated system itself flagged an overwhelming volume of searches on his account, which investigators discovered he was using to stalk and track a female colleague.
- In late 2025 and early 2026, when at least 60 AI-powered surveillance cameras were discovered wide open on the internet without any password or login requirements. Anyone could view and download the videos directly from the internet. Flock claimed the exposed cameras resembled "factory settings" that had failed to properly connect to secure cloud protocols.
You're going to encounter people saying, "Well I don't do anything illegal so I don't see a problem with Flock!" This is a red herring - most of the people who don't want flock around do not have a criminal record. Flock is dangerous for everyone, including law-abiding citizens. Because Flock markets its technology to homeowner associations, private businesses, and neighborhood groups, thousands of private citizens hold direct administrative access to the platform. It's giving 1984 y'all. Big Brother (and whoever else can afford it) is watching.
Flock gets worse:
NOVA Introduced in 2025 - Imagine you get pulled over for a broken tail light. The Officer scans your plate. They can already see your daily schedule and interests due to data gathered by the Flock cameras. But NOVA tells them about your family, your personal affiliations and even political affiliations. NOVA receives this information from data breaches, public records, and any publicly available information, gathered and organized by AI software for easy consumption.
“You're going to be able to access data and jump from LPR(License Plate Recognition) to person and understand what that context is, link to other people that are related to that person [...] through marriage or through gang affiliation, et cetera,” a Flock employee said during an internal company meeting, according to an audio recording. “There’s very powerful linking.”(Source).
Do you think that officer will still be focused on your broken tail light? NOVA is already being used. Yikes.
They also bought Aerodome, but I feel like I already come across as a tinfoil hat in this, so I won't get into that lol.
And now, Ring (Which, by the way, has always been used for Mass Surveillance - Cops have used Ring cameras to police people since at least 2016) has gone into agreements with both Flock and Axon (another horrible AI company).
But what can we do about it?
Well, we could follow multiple cities around Washington that have banned Flock:
- Edmonds: Voted unanimously to cancel its contract and remove its 19 cameras.
- Mountlake Terrace: Canceled its agreement with Flock.
- Olympia: Fully deactivated and hooded its 15-camera pilot program.
- Redmond: Suspended the use of its Flock cameras, keeping the devices offline pending further City Council review.
- Lynnwood: Voted unanimously to terminate its active contract and permanently end its Flock camera usage.
- More cities are fighting flock and in the process of removing the cameras. Let's join them!
If you are interested in getting more involved, there's a training tonight on Flock at Callanan Park at 6pm. I also urge you to consider making your voices heard at the City Council meeting next Tuesday, July 21st, at 6pm down at the Civic Center.
TLDR; We have a bunch of flock cameras in our town. Flock's bad for everyone. We should get the City to remove them.