There's now a Flock camera in Forsyth Park. Dunwoody, GA, just found out Flock employees were using cameras like it inside a children's gymnastics room to demo their product.
Most Savannah residents don't know this city is running one of the more aggressive automated surveillance programs in the region. Our tax dollars and SCAD Serves (SCAD's Charity Program) dollars are being used to purchase cameras that have been proven to be hackable and pose a major security risk.
What these cameras do
Flock cameras (they look like this) photograph every vehicle that passes. It collects plate, timestamp, location, and visual descriptors. It then shares that data with 1,500+ agencies across 45+ states, including federal agencies (DHS, ICE, FBI). They are in Forsyth Park, which means it captures everyone: pedestrians, cyclists, families, and people at the farmers' market.
What the data shows
Through open records requests of the Savannah PD, we found ~4,355 plate searches in a single 30-day period. 92% had no case number attached. Hundreds used gibberish reason codes. The city has not provided any efficacy data.
Over in nearby Dunwoody, GA
A Georgia resident recently obtained Flock access logs showing company employees had remotely accessed cameras inside a children's gymnastics room and a JCC pool to run sales demos for other police departments. Flock's own FAQ says "nobody from Flock Safety is accessing or monitoring your footage."
Find cameras near you: DeFlock.org Check if your plate's been scanned: HaveIBeenFlocked.com
There's a local campaign pushing for a city ordinance banning ALPR technology in Savannah -- not just this contract, since the city could switch to a different vendor. Follow on Instagram for updates, or ask questions below.
There's also a national week of action in August: noalprs.com
Edit: if you know where other cameras are located and you don't see them on the deflock map, you're able to add them through the app. Please message me if you need help.