OP-ED: “SAFETY” AND SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS, PART I, Sept. 28, 2026

There is weak to no evidence that increased use of surveillance cameras reduce crime rates.  So, while the basis for spying on the public has no return on “investment” with greater public safety and a corresponding lower crime rate controversy over these systems can only grow.  There is no known objective basis balancing solved crimes against false arrests while using Flock cameras.  It is an important question to answer.  If the social cost is greater than the perceived benefit, then these cameras must be removed immediately.

It should follow that if the argument for installing more and more of these surveillance cameras is weak to baseless, then they must serve some other purpose.  This is especially suspicious where local officials refuse to listen to public complaints.  So far, reports suggest it is a mixed bag.  Some towns are cancelling Flock contracts, while others are not.

The Innocence Myth - https://www.aclu-ia.org/automated-license-plate-readers-myth-vs-reality/  If you are innocent, you have nothing to worry about, right?  Wrong.  The cases of abuse and wrongful arrest continue to pile up.    We have a governmental system of oversurveillance for which there is no control and no reparations for the innocent. The worst example is the case of a man who was arrested twice on false information from Flock cameras.

Hot List Alerts – the case for Flock camera is based on the claim that law enforcement can be instantaneously informed when there is a stolen car or otherwise linked to other alert systems.

Government Surveillance  - Citizens assume that the government watches everything we do.  Is Big Brother already here?  We hear about how the NSA spies on everyone.   There were the revelations by xx who had to flee the country.  The FBI, the CIA (even though they are not supposed to), the NSA, and who knows how many other federal agencies surveil American citizens?

·  Inconclusive proof: According to a quote from the internet “Civil liberties groups like the American Civil Liberties Union argue that broad drops in crime cannot be definitively linked to cameras, noting that crime rates fluctuate due to many independent variables. [1]”

The point cannot be argued enough.  There is no strong connection between license plate readers and a reduction in crime.  The leading vendor, Flock Cameras, claimed evidence for a reduction in crime in one Georgia county.  Critics have pointed out the company has jumped to conclusions.  There are too many other factors, especially in one small locale to be able to definitively make that claim.

·  Data accuracy issues:  Also noted from a search:  “Studies and privacy advocates point out error rates (such as misread state plates or misidentified vehicles) that can lead to false alerts and severe civilian disruptions. [1, 2]”

Privacy?  What Privacy?  - The amount of personal data collected by Google and Meta alone rivals what is in the files of the FBI and the CIA.  Flock cameras constitute mass data collection.  As such, there is no regard for the individuals whose data is entered into the system.  Flock cameras are just the worst form of intrusion by governments which has been going on for decades.

Exponential Increase of Surveillance Abuse – To the extent Flock camera data can be easily distributed other jurisdictions and agencies (besides law enforcement), abuses increase as well.  There has been no clarity whatsoever by Flock or those using Flock about the limits for distributing this mass surveillance data.  Once collected by a  third party, all bets are off.  They could sell the data with no consequences, or just “share” the data.

An internet search discloses numerous claims that Flock data access is limited.  It is cold comfort.  There are too many examples of violations of the rules.  There is next to no evidence that violators get punished in any meaningful way.

Flock cameras, and Axon cameras are a tool for further abuse.  AI is designed for pattern matching.  This assumes the pattern matching is correct.  We are already learning that AI makes mistakes.  There is no system for punishing those engaged in mass data collection who cause harm to innocent people. It is a point that cannot be mentnioned enough, and argued enough.

How Many Surveillance Cameras are there in America? – The answer depends on what you are willing to include.  Even the numbers here may be less than the actual number in use.

TABLE ONE

COUNTRY	CCTV CAMERAS	POPULATION	CAMERAS PER CAPITA
CHINA	400-700 MM	1 B	0.4-0.7
USA	85 MM	350 MM	0.2
SOUTH KOREA	27	51.6 MM	0.5
VIETNAM	10	102 MM	0.09
UNITED KINGDOM	5-6.5	70 MM	0.07
GERMANY	5.2	84 MM	0.06
JAPAN	5	122 MM	0.04

When you add CCTV to all other camera security systems you get around 160 million such units.  But the raw count of number of cameras does  not tell the whole story.  Instead,  some camera technologies may be more intrusive than others.  That point can be applied to Flock and Axon cameras.  But the public has only started to take a closer look at these systems.

Call to action

The overreach of the Flock cameras is a loud call to push back against a government that is out of control.  It is a level of over-surveillance that must end.  However, the only time it will end is when the public complains loudly enough and puts pressure on law enforcement to end this intrusive practice.

A critical question needs to be answered.  If surveillance has any value in maintaining a civil society, then is there a limit?  Another point not raised is that increased surveillance imposes increased costs of control over the citizenry.  When will citizens  says “we will stop paying the prison guards?” Or is that a point of diminishing returns where every increase in surveillance produces a smaller increase in safety.

There is some hope.  At least in Connecticut, a growing number of law enforcement agencies are announcing the discontinuation or scaling back of Flock camera use.  The exception is the town of Milford.  There is a running battle between the residents of Milford and the town government which refuses to listen to their complaints.  Eventually, as more towns stop, they will have to get the message and stop as well.

Remember the Other Cameras -  The technology for surveillance is growing in ways beyond our imagination.  The threats these pose to people in America, and other countries are not well understood yet. But as some observers have noted, we are watching the real time construction of what will become a “digital prison”.   Social credit scoring, tracking phone use and financial use will be networked into one system to be used against every American citizen, as well as others.

Ring -Ring cameras are the most dominant brand at 43% of all security systems in use. 

Depending on how you are counting them, there may be between 50-70 million Ring cameras and related cameras in use.

How about international use of Ring cameras?  That information is out there, but it is a little harder to find.  Also, there should be market research on domestic security companies in other countries.

Axon -  While there are said to be 140,000 Flock cameras around the country, there are over 850,000 Axon cameras which are considered more advanced than Flock cameras.  It is claimed that Axon cameras use AI in communication networks which can link real time information for law enforcement surveillance.

There Ought to be a Policy  - The fact that so many more surveillance technologies are being deployed in America is reason enough to develop a clear policy limiting the use of surveillance cameras, license place readers, drones, AI and other technology that violates our 4th amendment rights.  The debate needs to begin.