This week the City Council will hold a Public Safety Meeting to discuss the Flock Camera System that is deployed throughout the city. It is doubtful that much will come out of the meeting. Council will most likely spend most of the time asking questions about what the system is and will never get into the nitty gritty about how the city uses the system and what controls are in place to not permit misuse and abuse of the system. Abuse like we have seen throughout the United States on various news outlets. The last thing we would want is someone using the system to track down a prostitute or drug dealer’s cash for misaligned needs…. and that has happened in the US.
To save some time, I have taken the step to educate council and all readers (I know council reads this joke of a blog, “Hey y’all! You’re welcome”)
What is the Flock system?
A Flock camera system is essentially a networked automated license plate reader (ALPR) built by Flock Safety, designed to capture vehicle data and send it to a searchable cloud database. The core idea: every passing vehicle gets photographed, its plate read, and its physical attributes logged, giving police and private clients a powerful investigative tool.
A Flock camera is a solar‑powered, LTE‑connected roadside ALPR that takes still images of vehicles, extracts the plate number and a “vehicle fingerprint,” and stores it in a cloud database searchable by law enforcement, HOAs, and businesses. Flock camera is an automated license plate reader (ALPR) made by Flock Safety. It records vehicle details like license plates, make, model, color, and unique features, storing them in a searchable cloud database used by law enforcement and private communities.
Source: What Is a Flock Camera and How Does It Work? · Finding Flock - https://www.findingflock.com/learn/what-is-a-flock-camera
What does it do?
As stated, it records YOU. But when does it start to violate your rights. A gentleman on Facebook who I will begin to cite more often cited some important facts.
Source: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1DMPxH3BNP/
The city of Allentown uses the flock camera system. But what exactly do they use it for?
I would think after a shooting they use the system to track vehicles that were in the area at the time. Okay, okay, sounds like a good tool, right?
Well, the problem of what you may not realize is the police can literally track your whereabouts throughout the city. Times you traveled and how long you were there. In fact, with the use of Flock and all the 150 plus cameras throughout the city, they could literally track your every move. Seems intrusive, doesn't it? It is.
Its as creepy as the guy on the 5th floor.
How isn’t that violating your privacy rights? What’s to say when an officer wants to spy on his wife, neighbor or friends? They could. I’m sure there is an audit system, but unless it highlights key plates and names how would anyone know? Do you think assistant Chief Gress will look into any abuse? Lol
I’m all for the police using lt correctly, but the fact you can be tracked whenever you’re in the city limits concerns me.
Current Evidence of Misuse
1. Stalking romantic partners or exes
This is the largest and best‑documented category. Officers run plates of ex‑girlfriends, estranged spouses, or people they’re romantically interested in — sometimes hundreds of times.
Sedgwick, Kansas (2024) — Police chief used Flock 228 times to stalk his ex‑girlfriend and her new partner.
Indianapolis, Indiana (2026) — Officer ran searches 3,759 times over 10 months, tracking vehicles used by his wife and two acquaintances.
Multiple states (2021–2025) — At least 24 documented cases of officers using ALPRs to track romantic partners, per Institute for Justice.
2. Personal curiosity or harassment of acquaintances
Officers sometimes run plates of neighbors, coworkers, or people they have disputes with.
Stow, Massachusetts (2026) — Officer accessed Flock data at least five times to get information about someone he knew personally. He faces firing and criminal charges. But that wouldnt happen at APD. You cant get fired, just watch the news.
Jefferson Parish, Louisiana (2026) — Officer fired for “personal use” of the system.
3. High‑volume, unjustified searches
Some officers run hundreds of searches on a single vehicle with no case number, no report, and no investigative justification.
Sarasota, Florida (2026) — Officer ran 335 searches on one vehicle; arrested for official misconduct and computer crimes.
4. Departments failing to audit or detect misuse
A major theme: misuse is often discovered by victims, journalists, or activists — not by police departments themselves.
Washington Post investigation (2026) — Found at least 69 officers nationwide accused, charged, or convicted of misuse; in 15 cases, outsiders discovered the abuse before the department did.
5. Misreads leading to wrongful stops and violence
Not intentional misuse, but operational misuse: officers rely on Flock hits without verifying them, leading to dangerous encounters.
Innocent people have been stopped at gunpoint, mauled by police dogs, or jailed due to misreads or unverified alerts. I am sure Chief Roca will say they have a strict policy on misuse and if anyone is caught doing so, they will be disciplined. Yea okay. Wannabe politician.
On Wednesday, city council will hear some presentations from the APD and experts on the city’s own Flock Camera system, but I honestly don’t expect much transparency. I am sure that the administration will refer to the Right to Know and other applicable laws that apply to obtain information (useless P.O.S.), only for it to be denied due to “operational security”. Just another opportunity to waste taxpayers’ time with no response and no action.
** You can join the discussion August 26th @6:15 PM at the following link:
Allentown - Public Safety Committee
https://allentownpa.legistar.com/DepartmentDetail.aspx?ID=30365&GUID=51B62740-AE07-4294-950C-8DDAA98416A5
Remember council isnt smart, so we have to inform them because they won't do it themselves.
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