A Flock camera blocked by a sign reading “Down With Flock” / Valerie Smith
In 2021, Flock Safety installed dozens of cameras in St. Petersburg without public input. One faces the Pier, while another watches a south St. Pete recreation center. Activist group DeFlock St. Pete is asking city council to remove the cameras.
Unlike standard surveillance cameras, Flock logs each passing car in an AI-powered database, searchable nationwide. Police can then track a vehicle’s location over time. Unlike GPS or cell phone tracking, Flock searches don’t require a warrant.
Flock says the cameras help return stolen vehicles and abducted children. Zach Schira, DeFlock St. Pete’s lead organizer, said catching criminals shouldn’t infringe on civil liberties.
“Systems like this are prone to abuse,” Schira told WMNF. “Both, you know, individual abuse by law enforcement who have been found using the system to stalk private individuals. And then it’s also prone to systemic abuse. It can be weaponized against political dissidents or minority groups. We don’t think that those use cases that they are highlighting are worth sacrificing our Fourth Amendment right.”
Neither mayoral candidate has called for ending St. Pete’s contract. Incumbent Ken Welch was in office when Flock was introduced to the city, and said he supports the technology because it helps the police solve crimes faster.
Former Governor Charlie Crist seemingly attempted to set himself apart from his opponent, proposing what he described as a “moratorium” on Flock. But Schira said that’s too vague.
“I’m glad to hear something at least a little bit skeptical of Flock cameras, but I think it doesn’t mean a whole lot to me,” Schira told WMNF. “Like, I don’t know what that actually means. I don’t know what mechanism there is to put a moratorium in. These cameras are out on our streets right now, recording data constantly.”
Schira warned that removing the cameras might not be a full win. Other cities that ended their Flock contracts discreetly installed similar cameras made by Axon or other manufacturers. A complete solution will require removing the technology altogether, Schira said.
St. Petersburg City Council will vote Thursday afternoon on referring the Flock discussion to the Public Services and Infrastructure committee.