FAFO: Flock around and find out

As we descend into the panopticon era of technofascism, one of the biggest proponents of this descent is the installation of the Flock cameras we’re seeing in our communities. 

I’ve been waiting for a report that shows us the data that is needed to decide whether these Flock cameras reduce crime and increase crime clearance rates; the true measure of their efficacy. Recently, such a report was released, where people used the FBI Crime Data Explorer tool for a closer look at the numbers. According to findings, despite nearly an eight-fold increase in the number of cameras in Atlanta, Flock didn’t significantly decrease crime or increase clearance rates as promised. 

According to the ATLPressCollective, Connect Atlanta’s website updated amounts of 28,626 integrated and 17,314 registered cameras as July this year. All these cameras and no significant reduction in crime or increase in clearance rates. Really makes one question about how these cameras were pitched to the individuals who signed off on it. Part of what frustrates me the most is that these cameras in a lot of cases were signed off by one individual, with little to no community input. This was learned from my public record requests to Fairmont and Marion County, West Virginia. Something that affects everyone should be voted on and decided on by everyone. Outsourcing local police to work for a private corporation such as this is a serious sign of incompetence, laziness, and naivety. 

To disarm a couple of counter points I hear; Flock is being sold as “having a police officer on every street,” however we never have had officers on every street, and there’s no need to. Also, to those parroting the, “you shouldn’t worry if you don’t have anything to hide” line, dismissing privacy rights because one has “nothing to hide” is equivalent to dismissing free speech because one has “nothing to say,” as former National Security Agency contractor and classified documents leaker Edward Snowden said.

Another angle I want to direct attention to, is what could have been instead? My record requests showed the city of Fairmont allotted over $30,000 for their purchase of five Flock cameras, and equipment; while Marion County has allotted $238,600 for its purchase of roughly 36 cameras and equipment. 

Given the report showing no significant decrease in crime in places using Flock; that nearly $260,000 could have been put to better use. There are data driven, tested and researched ways to reduce crime such as afterschool programs, trades programs, community centers, rehab centers, etc. Why did we not put any money towards these programs instead? They all are by far more effective at reducing crime than Flock cameras. 

Flock cameras are incredibly anti-community. By installing a “cop of every street” you are essentially removing the “community” out of community policing. Many residents are acquainted and friendly with the officers where they live due to the nature of small communities. Studies have shown that policing is more effective when the officer is from or reflects the community in which they serve. This separation of community from policing will only further weaken the relationships between the police and the communities they serve. 

What good do they really serve? Showing one instance where the cameras helped solve a crime or bring up an anecdote of a past crime that they would’ve been helping on does not justify their purchase or use. Given how many incredible amounts of documented and prosecuted cases of abuse by officers using Flock; it is near comical that a person could hold up one or two examples of usefulness, while a growing laundry list of over 200 abuses exist, and claim any sort of justification to keep them. Also worth mentioning is that Flock Safety is on the federal government’s National Institute of Standards and Technology National Vulnerabilities Database, due to the number of hacks they have been the target of. The Institute for Justice created a database to track and log the number of Flock abuses across the country.

What’s to be done? We organize, educate, and apply pressure. A new batch of public records requests I’ve sent will hopefully provide some answers to the questions mentioned above; however, in the meantime, it is important for people to find out who the decision makers are. Completing a public records request for the flock contracts is the first step to find the decision makers approving and signing Flock contracts. After finding out who signed the contracts, you will know who to direct your questions and concerns too. Technofascism is on the rise and spreading like a virus; I believe that Flock and similar entities’ usage of Automated License Plate Readers cameras are just the first step in trying to bring this dystopian future to fruition.