OT - Flock Cameras

[greenbean.sixpack]

What does the pack think about Flock Cameras? There have been several treads on local FB groups about them and I am surprised when so many people are for them. The argument is often that our phones are already tracking us. My counter argument is that we "opt in" to our phones, we had no such choice with Flock. Some states have banned or limited the use of this technology, I think we should do the same. Pearl uses license plate readers to send tickets to those without car insurance, (from what I understand there is a decent error rate), but MS banned red light cameras several years ago.

 

[horshack.sixpack]

What does the pack think about Flock Cameras? There have been several treads on local FB groups about them and I am surprised when so many people are for them. The argument is often that our phones are already tracking us. My counter argument is that we "opt in" to our phones, we had no such choice with Flock. Some states have banned or limited the use of this technology, I think we should do the same. Pearl uses license plate readers to send tickets to those without car insurance, (from what I understand there is a decent error rate), but MS banned red light cameras several years ago.

This guy is worth following if you are a computer guy. I found his take on flock to be well reasoned.



It has tons of value when used correctly and downside if not. Back to my chainsaw analogy. Trees - good. People - bad.

 

[BulldogBlitz]

Are you saying "opt in" with the phone because its either have a phone or not? Your phone definitely tracks you and listens whether you agree or not to allow it.

Every app seems to want access to pics, voice, location, etc.

In this area, its hilarious to read all the fb posts because they dont want anyone "tracking" them with a camera. So they are listing them all in case someone wants to accidentally swerve.

 

[Dawgbite]

What the flock is a Flock Camera?

 

[Trazom]

What the flock is a Flock Camera?

https://deflock.org/ (Not an endorsement, just info from the org that opposes them)

 

[Dawgbite]

That’s a new on on me. We’d never have a fictional crime drama or a true crime show if they ban those things. What would we watch on tv. There will be consequences and ramifications!

 

[MStateU]

My concern is “it’s just for this specific purpose…don’t worry”. “It’s just for that specific purpose….what are you worried about”

Then….

Flock Camera Captures Woman Driving With Her Phone on Her Lap (Face Down), The State Mailed Her a $1251 “Public Safety” Ticket

Flock Safety cameras sold for stolen vehicle recovery are now generating $1,251 mailed fines for phone use, raising serious legal and privacy concerns.

www.yahoo.com

 

[Shmuley]

What does the pack think about Flock Cameras? There have been several treads on local FB groups about them and I am surprised when so many people are for them. The argument is often that our phones are already tracking us. My counter argument is that we "opt in" to our phones, we had no such choice with Flock. Some states have banned or limited the use of this technology, I think we should do the same. Pearl uses license plate readers to send tickets to those without car insurance, (from what I understand there is a decent error rate), but MS banned red light cameras several years ago.

The Pearl distinction is that the tag readers are not for “moving violations” (speeding, running a red light, etc.) but for non-moving violations (expired tag, no insurance, etc) so this is why the Pearl tag readers are not in violation of the state statute banning traffic cameras. So far, the argument has worked. The state legislature can address the Pearl situation if it chooses to do so, but I don’t know many voters who think it’s okay for people to operate a vehicle without the mandated liability insurance coverage. So, politically, there is not a lot of incentive for the legislature to try and block what Pearl is doing.

 

[MSUDOG24]

This guy is worth following if you are a computer guy. I found his take on flock to be well reasoned.



It has tons of value when used correctly and downside if not. Back to my chainsaw analogy. Trees - good. People - bad.

Interesting watch and answers my first question, what the heck is a Flock camera. That guys pretty good and had to chuckle at "a conference room full of people arguing over who owns the conduit". I'm also now firm in my opinion .... it depends. What was the chainsaw analogy?

 

[grinningmule]

They are great for tracking criminals but the human element always finds a way to corrupt it:
Documented Stalking Incidents

• • Florida Deputy Case: A Monroe County sheriff's deputy allegedly used a surveillance hotlist tied to automated cameras to track down and pull over a woman he met while providing security on a TV set. [1, 2]
  • Costa Mesa Officer: A Costa Mesa, California police officer used the department's Flock network and law enforcement databases to track his mistress and other romantic interests, ultimately pleading guilty to criminal charges. [1, 2]
  • Milwaukee Officers: A former Milwaukee police officer resigned and faced charges after searching his ex-girlfriend's license plate nearly 180 times via the department's Flock system. A second Milwaukee detective was later charged for similar personal tracking. [1, 2, 3, 4]

 

[Howiefeltersnstch]

No different than FISA. Its a great tool to prevent terrorists from other countries. But it can be used for evil, such as monitoring senators text messages and phone records from the opposing party. Or spying on a duly elected president in an attempt to topple his government. With great power comes great responsibility. But everybody is a corrupt pos these days so

 

[WrapItDog]

Flock Safety cameras generate billions of license plate scans monthly, leading to massive absolute error counts despite high percentage accuracy claims. The company states its system is 99% accurate (or 93% in some independent reports) while scanning approximately 20 billion vehicles per month.

• 99% Accuracy Claim: Flock claims 99% accuracy, which still results in approximately 200 million misreads per month.
• 93% Accuracy Data: Independent analysis and some reports cite a 93% accuracy rate, implying over 1.4 billion inaccurate readings per month.
• Error Sources: Mistakes stem from machine misreads (e.g., confusing '0' and 'O', dirt, or partial plate entries) and human errors (e.g., officers entering incomplete data into the NCIC database).
• Consequences: These errors have led to innocent drivers being detained at gunpoint, swarmed by police, or wrongfully arrested, with incidents occurring across multiple states including Minnesota, Nebraska, and Tennessee.
• Systemic Issue: The architecture often fails to distinguish between full matches and partial substring matches, amplifying small data entry errors into nationwide surveillance alerts.

 

[horshack.sixpack]

Interesting watch and answers my first question, what the heck is a Flock camera. That guys pretty good and had to chuckle at "a conference room full of people arguing over who owns the conduit". I'm also now firm in my opinion .... it depends. What was the chainsaw analogy?

Good if you are cutting wood bad if you are cutting people. All about who is using it and how.

 

[horshack.sixpack]

Flock Safety cameras generate billions of license plate scans monthly, leading to massive absolute error counts despite high percentage accuracy claims. The company states its system is 99% accurate (or 93% in some independent reports) while scanning approximately 20 billion vehicles per month.

• 99% Accuracy Claim: Flock claims 99% accuracy, which still results in approximately 200 million misreads per month.
• 93% Accuracy Data: Independent analysis and some reports cite a 93% accuracy rate, implying over 1.4 billion inaccurate readings per month.
• Error Sources: Mistakes stem from machine misreads (e.g., confusing '0' and 'O', dirt, or partial plate entries) and human errors (e.g., officers entering incomplete data into the NCIC database).
• Consequences: These errors have led to innocent drivers being detained at gunpoint, swarmed by police, or wrongfully arrested, with incidents occurring across multiple states including Minnesota, Nebraska, and Tennessee.
• Systemic Issue: The architecture often fails to distinguish between full matches and partial substring matches, amplifying small data entry errors into nationwide surveillance alerts.

Police should have firm processes for how they use the information and they should not be the only source of info for those kinds of incidents.

 

[DawgsGoneWild]

This is an issue in my town right now in Texas. Lots of online petitions going around to ban them

 

[RivaDawg]

What does the pack think about Flock Cameras? There have been several treads on local FB groups about them and I am surprised when so many people are for them. The argument is often that our phones are already tracking us. My counter argument is that we "opt in" to our phones, we had no such choice with Flock. Some states have banned or limited the use of this technology, I think we should do the same. Pearl uses license plate readers to send tickets to those without car insurance, (from what I understand there is a decent error rate), but MS banned red light cameras several years ago.

Probably a dumb question, but how do they know whether or not you have car insurance?

 

[BTCMoonBoy]

I believe we should have drones circling continuously and enough prison space to hold criminals forever

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

Flock cameras are fine with guard rails as to their use. Unfortunately there’s not a lot of guardrails.

 

[MSUDOG24]

Good if you are cutting wood bad if you are cutting people. All about who is using it and how.

LOL, well that went right by me. Cutting people with a chainsaw honestly never crossed my mind (but was never into slasher movies). I was trying to some how twist that trees are a good thing but some people use a chainsaw on them in a bad way. How's that for some over thinking?

 

[Barkman Turner Overdrive]

Nm

 

[ronpolk]

I’m a fan when these cameras allow me to go thru a toll without having to stop…. Otherwise I kinda think the cops should get out and do their job.

 

[Xenomorph]

I think all society needs is a couple of precogs floating in water and we can bring Minority Report to life.

 

[BulldogBlitz]

I guess people got tired of wearing their covid "mask" while driving alone to hide their identity

 

[Puppychow]

As former head of our HOA, I installed and operated flock cameras at the entrances of our neighborhood. I had residents asking me to track their spouses and kids. Of course I didn’t. The main uses, for me, were identifying suspicious vehicles based on their description and license plate verification. The cameras are added to the law enforcement networks so they can track BOLO’s. Other than that, they weren’t being used much.

 

[mstateglfr]

I’m a fan when these cameras allow me to go thru a toll without having to stop…. Otherwise I kinda think the cops should get out and do their job.

That isn't what flock cameras are for though.
A toll camera is not a flock camera.

Both use automatic license plate reading tech, but do does the parking garage I use for work.

 

[mstateglfr]

I am fine with the speeding ticket camera we have on an intrastate through our metro. It tickets the vehicle if it's above 10mph over the speed limit.
For years now, people drive slower than they used to and there are fewer accidents in that area.
No need to pay a cop to sit there every day.


I dislike the concept of flock cameras due to the data gathering and data sharing...both potential for and real examples of.
Some really strong guardrails need to exist. One's that cant just be brokeb/ignored because someone pressured others for the data.

 

[HotMop]

What does the pack think about Flock Cameras? There have been several treads on local FB groups about them and I am surprised when so many people are for them. The argument is often that our phones are already tracking us. My counter argument is that we "opt in" to our phones, we had no such choice with Flock. Some states have banned or limited the use of this technology, I think we should do the same. Pearl uses license plate readers to send tickets to those without car insurance, (from what I understand there is a decent error rate), but MS banned red light cameras several years ago.

When Portland and LA banned them I knew they were a good thing.

 

[HotMop]

LOL, well that went right by me. Cutting people with a chainsaw honestly never crossed my mind

How do you check a woman's age then?

 

[Dawgbite]

Probably a dumb question, but how do they know whether or not you have car insurance?

They cross reference the vehicle ownership with insurance databases.

 

[Dawgbite]

That isn't what flock cameras are for though.
A toll camera is not a flock camera.

Both use automatic license plate reading tech, but do does the parking garage I use for work.

Last year I was in Texas and hopped on the LBJ Turnpike tollway. I was driving a rental that I didn’t rent, it was on a company credit card in someone else’s name and three months later I get a toll bill in the mail. That’s kinda scary.

 

[PBRME]

I just want to see my pltr stock go up.

 

[Shmuley]

How do you check a woman's age then?

^^^ This is the content that I overpay DS for.

 

[ronpolk]

That isn't what flock cameras are for though.
A toll camera is not a flock camera.

Both use automatic license plate reading tech, but do does the parking garage I use for work.

Ok then I guess I don’t like flock cameras.

 

[greenbean.sixpack]

but I don’t know many voters who think it’s okay for people to operate a vehicle without the mandated liability insurance coverage.

So why stop there, why not breathalyzers required on everyone's vehicle? Why not roadblocks at every intersection? Why not ban cars over 20 year old? All these would increase public safety and reduce insurance costs.

 

[BTCMoonBoy]

When Portland and LA banned them I knew they were a good thing.

Yep all the info I need to make my decision. Install them everywhere. Also check for trans / pedos crossing state lines unless they are heading for west coast

 

[PhredPhantom]

There’s a free app in the Apple App Store named DeFlock that shows you on a map where they are located nationwide. (Not sure about Android; I only have iPhone)

 

[El Perro Grande]

I Reported on Flock's Cameras. Now I'm One of the System's Mistakes

How a typo entered 2,000 miles away triggered Flock's cameras — and led four police officers to surround me.

www.thedrive.com

 

[champdawg.sixpack]

Against. You can put all the rules you want on them but human nature will prevail every 17 time

 

[Maroon13]

Flock cameras make the job of law enforcement easier and safer.

1. bad guys usually don't lay down in one place more than six months. They use Mommas address on gov paper. Flocks make them easy to find while they are committing crime and try to hide from law enforcement.

2. When bad guys run, become fugitives, it's easy for LEOs to follow and track them without high speed chases. Or going to bad address after old addresses to find them.

3. Don't commit crime. Won't be a problem.

 

[WrapItDog]

3. Don't commit crime. Won't be a problem.

Apr. 2026​

Volusia County, FL​

Based on a Flock capture, officers mistook an innocent driver’s car for one that was at the scene of a deadly accident. The driver was jailed for 13 days.

Nov. 2025​

San Diego, CA​

Based on a Flock capture, officers mistook an innocent driver’s car for one that was at the scene of an attempted carjacking. The driver was jailed for nearly one month.

Apr. 2024​

Toledo, OH​

After a Flock camera misread a “7” as a “2”, officers detained an innocent driver at gunpoint, sicced their dog on him, and jailed him for several hours.

Sep. 2023​

Detroit, MI​

Officers misinterpreted ALPR data and detained an innocent woman at gunpoint, put her autistic child in the back seat of a police car, and impounded her vehicle for several weeks.

Jul. 2022​

Charlotte, NC​

An ALPR hit led to an innocent woman’s arrest after officers entered incorrect information into the license plate reader system.

Jun. 2024​

Morristown, TN​

After a Flock camera misread an “O” as a “0”, officers detained two grandparents at gunpointwhile their three-year-old granddaughter watched from the car.