Across the United States, from La Mesa, California to Lisbon, Connecticut, Flock Safety's license plate reader cameras are being torn down, smashed or dismantled as backlash grows over federal access to the surveillance network-particularly by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
In La Mesa, east of San Diego, two Flock cameras were discovered destroyed last week, their solar panels twisted and casings ripped from poles. The vandalism followed a contentious city council vote renewing the city's contract with the Atlanta-based surveillance company.
"There was a huge turnout against them," said Bill Paul, who runs the independent outlet San Diego Slackers and first reported on the damaged units. "But the council approved continuation of the contract."
Flock Safety, valued at approximately $7.5 billion, markets its automated license plate readers (ALPRs) as tools to combat crime. The company says its cameras operate in roughly 6,000 U.S. communities, capturing not only license plates but vehicle make, model, color and distinguishing features.
The data is stored and searchable by law enforcement agencies. Critics argue that federal access-particularly by ICE-has transformed what local officials describe as crime-prevention technology into a nationwide tracking system.
ICE, which enforces deportations and conducts immigration raids, has used ALPR databases in investigations. Civil liberties advocates say such access often occurs without warrants and with limited public awareness.
Opponents argue the system enables broad vehicle tracking across jurisdictions. They contend that the data could be used to monitor sensitive travel, including interstate movements for medical procedures.
The backlash has turned physical in several states:
- At least six Flock cameras were cut down in Eugene and Springfield, Oregon
- A mast was severed in Greenview, Illinois
- Another unit was destroyed in Lisbon, Connecticut
- In Virginia, prosecutors charged 41-year-old Jefferey S. Sovern with destroying 13 cameras between April and October
According to prosecutors in Virginia, Sovern used vice grips to dismantle poles and kept components including wiring, batteries and solar panels. He faces destruction-of-property and larceny-related charges.
Activist networks have amplified opposition. DeFlock, a website tracking municipal contracts, says 46 cities have rejected Flock or similar ALPR systems. A YouTube creator, Benn Jordan, has published videos demonstrating how license plates might evade automated readers, prompting Florida lawmakers to pass legislation banning alterations or coverings designed to obscure plates.
Flock maintains its cameras help recover stolen vehicles and solve violent crimes. Yet critics say oversight remains uneven. In some municipalities, officials have said they were unaware federal agencies could access locally contracted systems.
Municipal debates now reflect a broader national dispute: whether public-safety technology can coexist with constitutional privacy protections. In city council chambers from California to Oregon, opponents frequently invoke the Fourth Amendment and describe the systems as "Orwellian."
Local officials often frame the devices as "smart streetlight" or public safety upgrades tied to broader infrastructure projects, including partnerships with firms such as Ubicquia. But as communities learn more about interagency data-sharing, opposition has grown more organized-and in some cases, destructive.
