Alpharetta students join a national backlash against Flock cameras

Two seniors at Alpharetta High School want Fulton County Schools to take down the license plate cameras posted outside every entrance to their school. Their petition, started September 1, had 92 signatures when Atlanta News First reported on it.

Aditya Manchanda and Henry Jones, both 17, argue the cameras violate students' privacy. "I think the school has a responsibility to protect the privacy of its students," Jones said. Manchanda put it more bluntly: "We hope that Fulton County takes down every Flock camera."

The school board approved the cameras in September 2022, and they're installed at all 104 schools in the district. "Our goal is to ensure that everyone feels safe on their school campus," the district said.

The cameras are made by Flock Safety, a metro Atlanta company founded in 2017 by Georgia Tech graduates. Its readers sit on roadside poles and capture license plates and details about passing vehicles. More than 135,000 automated license plate readers now operate in the U.S., Flock makes four of every five, and the company operates in 49 states, ABC News reported.

That growth has run into organized opposition. "This is the biggest, most grassroots privacy backlash that I've ever seen in more than 20 years working on these issues," Jay Stanley of the American Civil Liberties Union told ABC News.

A Newsweek map published August 28 counts 149 cities, counties, and other local governments that have canceled Flock contracts, rejected new cameras, or shut off existing ones. Tempe, Arizona, permanently deactivated its system. Pflugerville, Texas, voted to end its agreement.

Much of the anger traces back to officers using the cameras for personal reasons. A Kentucky officer was arrested for tracking his ex-girlfriend more than 2,000 times, and six Savannah police employees were fired over alleged abuse of the cameras, according to ABC News. In Hall County, three deputies resigned after misusing Flock cameras, Atlanta News First reported.

In a statement to ABC News, Flock said, "Flock is designed to help authorized users find relevant evidence for investigations without compromising safety and compliance."

In Charlotte, officer Seth Elliot was charged with illegally accessing a government computer after the target of a drug investigation in another county asked him to run a search on a license plate and vehicle being used by an undercover officer, WBTV reported. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department doesn't own any Flock cameras, but it has agreements that let officers search Flock's databases. On September 9, the city published a request for proposals for a new license plate reader system to replace the one CMPD has used for more than a decade, WSOC reported.

Denver has already switched vendors. The city's Flock contract ended March 31, and the City Council voted 7-6 to approve a one-year contract with Axon for 50 cameras to replace its 110 Flock cameras, with Council President Amanda Sandoval casting the deciding vote, according to the ACLU of Colorado, which had urged a no vote.

Back in Alpharetta, the students have proposed more security patrols and closer relationships between students, teachers, and administrators in place of the cameras. "Hopefully if we start with our campus, it can spread to the wider Alpharetta," Jones said.

Sources

• Atlanta News First: Students petition to remove Flock cameras at Alpharetta High School
• ABC News: Flock cameras trigger nationwide backlash over privacy concerns, police abuse
• Newsweek: Map shows 149 cities pushing back against Flock cameras
• WBTV: Charlotte-Mecklenburg police release Flock Safety agreement after officer's arrest
• WSOC: City of Charlotte seeks new license plate reader system
• ACLU of Colorado: Denver City Council approves new Axon contract to replace Flock
• Wikipedia: Flock Safety