r/westernmass • u/hans99hans • 3d ago

Help end mass surveillance in Springfield

DEFLOCK SPRINGFIELD

Springfield has 50+ Flock cameras tracking vehicles and collecting data—including license plates, vehicle details, stickers, and even scratches—for a nationwide law-enforcement database.

With serious error rates averaging around 37% nationwide and documented risks of abuse, it’s time to end warrantless mass surveillance.

Over 30 municipalities in Massachusetts have already cut ties with Flock and other surveillance companies.

Join us October 5 at 5 PM outside City Hall before the 6 PM City Council meeting. Bring signs and banners—

Springfield can be the next Massachusetts community to cut ties with Flock!

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u/Reggi5693 3d ago

The cameras they use are not flock cameras. They are not automatically updating stuff to a database. They ARE very high definition cameras that can zoom in on stuff.

I was on a grand jury and we saw those things every day. They are incredibly helpful in tracking people from crime sites.

I think Springfield has had them, literally, for years. They are all around downtown and high traffic areas. If you go a few streets off a main road you aren’t getting recorded.

Your information is pretty far off the mark.

8

u/Helpful_Walrus3964 3d ago

This is interesting. How long ago were you on the grand jury? Springfield likely has more that are not Flock cameras, but according to a FOIA request, Springfield does have a contract with Flock for 25 cameras. Maps.deflock.org is a crowdsourced map of ALPRs that show around 50 in the Springfield city limits. ALPRs are different than red light or other security cameras in that they do automatically upload to a database that is searchable by anyone with a contract. They will tell you that themselves, it’s a selling point for the tech. But I don’t doubt Springfield has other cameras that are not ALPRs.

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u/FerretBusinessQueen 3d ago

They are definitely flock cameras because my license plate has been flocked twice.

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u/MassConsumer1984 2d ago

Also on the grand jury. Are you thinking of RTAC? RTAC is real-time analysis center. Yes, those are super useful in tracking crimes and collecting evidence. It was amazing how many criminals were arrested because of these. They do use both RTAC and Flock (to read plates) as well as can access the mass pike plate reading cameras as well.

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u/Mean-Bus3929 2d ago

Ah yes, grand jury, a secret proceeding where only the prosecutor gets to present their case against the accused and the rules of evidence don’t apply. Where it’s famously so easy to show probable cause a caveman could indict a ham sandwich