Americans Are Taking Down Flock Cameras Across the Country
An INSANE story is unfolding in Troy, New York where a mayor who overrode her own city council’s vote to END their Flock camera contract, by declaring a “public emergency,” is now FUMING after citizens began cutting down the cameras! The female mayor said that cutting down the cameras was “an act of violence…” and is begging the public to help identify who did it. This is Troy, New York. Troy’s own City Council… the elected representatives of the people… VOTED to stop the Flock contract over privacy concerns. They ordered the funding withheld.
So what did the mayor do? She literally declared a “PUBLIC EMERGENCY” to keep the surveillance cameras running anyway. So just to be clear: >The people’s representatives said end Flock cams. >The mayor forced them to stay up by declaring an “emergency.” >She’s now being SUED by her own city council over it. >The council is so alarmed they’re trying to STRIP her power to declare emergencies at all. And when frustrated citizens finally took a few of those cameras down themselves… …the mayor called that “violence.” One of the wildest stories I’ve ever seen… – Matt Van Swol
🚨#BREAKING: An INSANE story is unfolding in Troy, New York where a mayor who overrode her own city council’s vote to END their Flock camera contract, by declaring a “public emergency,” is now FUMING after citizens began cutting down the cameras!
The female mayor said that… pic.twitter.com/dpZpOuGDqM
— Matt Van Swol (@mattvanswol) July 27, 2026
- Taking down a Flock camera. A cool how to video. But he is only reporting on how other folks are doing it… Hmmm – Clip (Keep this in case voter fraud is not stopped and Democrats take both houses in November, then the WH is 2028)
Americans Are Taking Down Flock Cameras Across the Country
In Troy, New York, the city council voted to end the contract with Flock Safety cameras because of privacy worries. The people’s elected representatives said the cameras should come down. The mayor declared a “public emergency” to keep them running anyway. When frustrated citizens started cutting some of the cameras down, the mayor called it an “act of violence” and asked the public to help identify who did it.
This is not just a Troy story. The same fight is happening in towns and cities all over America. Ordinary people are cutting down, smashing, and dismantling Flock cameras because they see them as a step toward constant monitoring and government overreach.
What These Cameras Actually Do
Flock cameras are automated license plate readers. They sit on poles along roads and photograph every vehicle that passes. They record the plate number, make, model, color, and sometimes other details. The data goes into a searchable system that many police departments can access. Flock has placed these cameras in thousands of communities. The network logs billions of plates every month.
Supporters say the cameras help find stolen cars and solve crimes. Critics point out that the system tracks the daily movements of millions of people who have done nothing wrong. No warrant is needed. The records can be kept for weeks and shared across agencies.
The Risk of Constant Monitoring and Control
When a government or private company can track where every car goes, it gains powerful control. Officials can see patterns of movement without ever asking a judge for permission. Data can be shared with federal agencies, including those handling immigration enforcement. Some cities discovered that their cameras were searched thousands of times for immigration purposes even when local rules banned it.
This kind of system fits the definition of mass surveillance. Once the network is large enough, it becomes easy to watch political opponents, protesters, or anyone who draws attention. History shows that tools built for “safety” often get used for control when the rules are loose. The more cameras that go up, the harder it becomes to live without being recorded.
Real Abuses Are Already Happening
The biggest documented problem is stalking by police officers themselves. Officers have used Flock systems to track current partners, exes, and people they simply noticed. In Milwaukee, one officer searched a dating partner’s plate more than 200 times and also looked up her ex. The officer investigating that case later faced similar charges for tracking people in his own life. Both lost their jobs.
The Institute for Justice has identified at least two dozen similar cases across the country in recent years. Officers in Illinois, South Carolina, Texas, California, Georgia, Florida, and Kansas have been charged or forced to resign after using the cameras to follow romantic interests. Some ran the same plates dozens or hundreds of times. Nearly all of them faced criminal charges or lost their jobs once the misuse was discovered.
These cases show how easy the system is to abuse. Access is often poorly controlled. The temptation to check on a personal relationship turns a public safety tool into a private spying device.
People Are Pushing Back by Taking Cameras Down
Citizens are no longer waiting for city halls to act. In La Mesa, California, cameras were smashed and left on the median shortly after the council voted to keep them despite public opposition. In Eugene and Springfield, Oregon, at least six cameras were cut down from their poles. One note left behind read, “Hahaha get wrecked ya surveilling fucks.”
In Virginia, a man was arrested after dismantling 13 cameras across the state. He said he valued privacy and the Fourth Amendment. Similar destruction has been reported in Illinois and Connecticut. Across at least five states, people have used tools to cut poles, remove solar panels, or smash the devices.
At the same time, dozens of cities have canceled or refused to renew Flock contracts. Places like Santa Cruz, California, Eugene, Oregon, and others walked away after residents raised privacy and data-sharing concerns. Some towns covered cameras with trash bags while they figured out how to exit contracts. The pushback is coming from both progressive college towns and more conservative areas. Privacy is uniting people who agree on little else.
What This Means Going Forward
The Troy mayor’s decision to override the city council and call camera removal “violence” highlights the deeper problem. When elected representatives vote one way and an official forces the opposite result, trust breaks down. When citizens then act on their own, officials treat it as crime rather than a symptom of lost consent.
Flock cameras are not neutral tools. They create a permanent record of where people drive. That record can be misused by individuals with access and expanded by governments that want more control. The growing number of cities rejecting the technology and the physical removal of cameras by citizens show that many Americans are not willing to accept constant vehicle tracking as the new normal.
Privacy is not a luxury. It is a basic limit on power. When that limit is ignored, people eventually push back—sometimes by cutting the cameras down themselves.
- Taking down a Flock camera. A cool how to video. But he is only reporting on how other folks are doing it… Hmmm – Clip (Keep this in case voter fraud is not stopped and Democrats take both houses in November, then the WH is 2028)
- – Whatfinger News Team: Luke and Sgt L
References
Across the US, people are dismantling and destroying Flock surveillance cameras
Americans are destroying Flock surveillance cameras
Police Keep Losing Their Jobs for Using Flock Cameras to Stalk People
Why some cities are ditching their Flock license plate readers
Cops Keep Getting Arrested for Using Flock to Stalk People
Top Vids across all Whatfinger sites right now
- Mass shooter taken down in just 10 seconds after he opened fire into a crowd in Tucson, Arizona.
- Robot dogs are no longer experimental in China. They’re training with actual soldiers, right now: in combat, recon, and support roles. The era of the hybrid human-machine infantry has arrived…
- A Florida man went viral after unlocking a police car in under 10 seconds when officers accidentally locked themselves out
- Humor Clip: Prank had me laughing so hard I started crying. Multiple clips – love when the reactions are real. 🤣
- Humor clip: Darwin Awards: Girl gets crapped on disgustingly while friend laughs hysterically 🤣
- The surveillance state is coming “A law passed recently by the United States Congress mandates cameras…”
Get on over to Whatfinger.com – Whatfinger News does millions of pageviews a month for a reason…. Truth, Justice, the American way, plus news on the Left as well – all links from all sites gives you the true news. – CLICK HERE 🛑
See articles and videos to help you live as long and as healthy as possible…
