For the last nine years, something extremely concerning has been happening in America and, until recently, you likely haven’t heard much about it.
In 2017, Flock was founded in Atlanta, GA by three Georgia Tech alumni. The company started off as a video surveillance company hoping to assist law enforcement with solving crimes. Since then, the company’s strategy has shifted to developing systems that read vehicle license plates and record every vehicle passing its systems.
Known as Automated License Plate Readers (ALPR), Flock cameras record every single vehicle that passes it and even captures unique characteristics of the vehicle, including make and model, stickers on the car, dings and scratches and the physical location the vehicle is traveling.
Once the data is captured, it is automatically uploaded into an Amazon Web Services tool used by law enforcement. Once it’s there, the data can be used for a long list of reasons. Law enforcement claims it is used for criminal investigations of suspected vehicles. It can also assist with real time alerts if a vehicle is reported stolen or is involved in a kidnapping and passes a Flock camera.
Unfortunately, for all the benefits law enforcement can reap from Flock systems, we know for certain it is being abused. In New Bedford, MA, Detective Emily Pacheco and Sgt. James Marinelli were found to have illegally used Flock cameras to track their current and former partners.
In Revere, MA, Officer Michael Tiso used the Flock system to search for license plates of his ex-girlfriend and her family members. The accusations are disturbing, and these are only a few recent examples. Where there is smoke, there is fire.
Today, Flock operates over 120,000 systems nationwide and that should cause serious concern for American citizens. Talk about “Big Brother”. Flock cameras bring that concept to a whole new level, and it’s extremely disturbing.
Wherever you go, the government is following you. You think you have privacy in your own vehicle. Think again. You are being watched, you are being tracked and your privacy is being violated.
America was founded on a simple and straight forward concept. Government exists to protect the rights of the people, not to monitor their every movement. The argument for Flock cameras is understandable. Police officers need tools to investigate violent crimes, recover stolen vehicles and locate missing people. I 100% get that.
The question is not whether these cameras can help solve crimes. That is glaringly obvious. The question is whether government should be allowed to build a permanent record of where ordinary Americans drive, whether or not they have committed a crime. The answer should be a resounding no. There is a stark difference between investigating a suspect and monitoring everyone for no specific reason.
If police have reason to believe that a vehicle was involved in a robbery, they should have legitimate tools available to identify and locate that vehicle. But creating a system that automatically records millions of innocent motorists is an extreme and outrageous solution.
Instead of starting with a suspect and investigating his or her movements, the government can start with everyone’s movements and work backward. That is exactly the kind of power our Founding Founders were skeptical of. For that reason alone, every American should be extremely concerned.
The Fourth Amendment was written in a time when government agencies could not technologically follow every citizen everywhere. However, the constitutional theory remains the same. Americans should have protection against unreasonable government searches and surveillance.
Early in my career, I worked with an executive who was a staunch opponent of government overreach. I remember one day, I was driving home and noticed his truck next to me on the highway. I went through the EZ pass lane and noticed that he went through the cash lane (back when that was a thing).
The next day, I asked him when he was going to get with the times and get an EZ Pass. He responded candidly and said, “I don’t need the government knowing where I am.” At the time, I thought he was being a bit extreme and paranoid. Now, I know exactly what he meant.
Fortunately, there are many Americans who are equally concerned about Flock cameras as I am. However, being concrned will not solve the problem and protect our constitutional rights. Action is needed and opposition to this growing atrocity needs to be loud.
If you are interested in seeing where Flock cameras are in your community, a genius company www.deflock.org created a map. Trust me, it’s worth checking out.
Chris Thompson’s (christhompsnh@gmail.com) column is published weekly on howiecarrshow.com and livefreepressnh.com