Tell Reno, Sparks, and Washoe Reps: Get Flock Out of Our Community

Washoe County residents: help us get Flock out of Reno, Sparks, and all of Washoe County! Use this form to write a letter to all Reno city councilors, Sparks city councilors, and Washoe County Commission.

What's Wrong with Flock?

Flock Safety cameras are advertised as the next technology to help police "catch criminals." What Flock Safety doesn’t mention is how the technology actually works. They create a 24/7 digital dragnet that tracks the everyday movements of ordinary citizens. The system captures license plates, vehicle decals, faces, and even unique vehicle damage, storing this data in a private, national database searchable by law enforcement without a warrant. It is a persistent wide area surveillance system.

• Data Privacy Erosion: Flock’s cloud-connected cameras infringe on the privacy of every Reno resident and visitor who drives past them by recording and storing video of their vehicles. Furthermore, Flock’s history of data leaks, such as exposed live camera feeds, makes the sensitive movement data of all local residents vulnerable to hackers.

• Violation of Civil Liberties: Flock’s camera systems make warrantless searches easy. Nationally, cases of law enforcement abuse are on the rise as use of this technology expands, including in the Las Vegas Metro Police Department. This technology creates multiple opportunities for abuse and violation of civil liberties.

• Immigration Enforcement: While Flock may not directly partner with ICE, this does not mean that ICE will not get their hands on data from Flock ALPRs. In multiple cases, local law enforcement agencies in other municipalities have given ICE access to Flock’s database. Other Flock customers have found out that federal agencies such as CBP had “back door” access to their Flock data after the fact.
  

• Fiscally Irresponsibility: Local governments in Washoe County have spent $1.7 million on AI-powered mass surveillance systems such as Flock and Shotspotter, with an additional $2.4 million allocated in the next fiscal year.
  

Our Demands

Northern Nevada DSA, along with other allies and community members, is demanding that the City of Reno, the City of Sparks, and Washoe County take the following steps immediately:

1. Implement and Increase Transparency: Create a public-facing transparency portal detailing all mass-surveillance technologies currently in use.

2. Immediate Camera Deactivation and Contract Termination: Turn off all active Flock Safety cameras currently under contract. Formally terminate all contracts with Flock Safety and remove the hardware from public streets.

3. Ban ALPR Technology: Pass a municipal ordinance banning the use of Automated License Plate Reader technology within city and county limits.

We are fighting for a Washoe County where residents are treated as neighbors, not as "potential suspects" in a privatized database. We will continue to educate, organize, and mobilize until our streets are free from unwarranted surveillance.