What's the Deal With Flock Cameras?

Flock Cameras seem to be simply there for safety, but behind the sleek infrastructure, there lies a whole lot more than just the reading of your car’s license plate. Manufactured by titular Flock Safety company, many counties in the US and around the world have been implementing solar powered poles with surveillance cameras attached, hoping to increase safety for any vehicle related crime.

  Flock Cameras have proven to be a lot more than just license plate reading, as many people believe that constant monitoring is the first step of many to mass surveillance. Recently, a local activist group titled “Deflock SCV” has sprouted, initiating multiple protests and speeches directed towards the city council, hoping for change. I was able to interview one of their main teenage leaders, Omar Reza, where we spoke about their opinions on Flock. The main purpose of Flock Cameras is assisting with crime rates, but do they actually help? 

     “Before we installed the Flock cameras, there wasn't really that big of an increase in crime rates,” said Reza. “And when Sheriff Barclay came down to city council to rave about the successes of the flock cameras, he used statistically skewed data because he said, ‘This is how many cases we've solved with the flock cameras’. I believe, in one case, he showed 100 stolen vehicles in a year, which is absolutely impressive, but it ignores the fact of how many stolen cars would we have solved total in a year regularly?”. 

     Deflock SCV has spoken out in multiple SCV City Council meetings, bringing their opinions to the table, but the council has done nothing on it so far. 

     So what can we do about Flock cameras? Firstly, do your research. Flock has its pros and cons, but SCV has been effectively only focusing on the cons, and we need to understand the true values of Flock in order to have an educated opinion. Secondly, make sure you spread the word. Flock is not just something that happens here in Santa Clarita; it is now nearly everywhere in the United States. Thirdly, don’t be afraid to speak out about your opinions. City council meetings have public comment sections for a reason, and we should all learn how to use them wisely  to our advantage. Lastly and most importantly, be safe while doing anything.