Remove flock cameras from Santa Maria
Flock cameras are everywhere in Santa Maria now, and they're capturing license plate data on every resident driving through town. The promise? They'll catch criminals faster. The reality? We're building a surveillance database on ordinary people with almost no oversight.
I started a petition because this doesn't add up. The ACLU has documented misuse of these systems across the country. The Electronic Frontier Foundation found no solid evidence they actually reduce crime. Meanwhile, we're spending serious money maintaining them—funds that could go to schools, healthcare, or actual community needs.
It's not about being anti-safety. It's about asking: do we need to track every license plate to be safe? What happens to that data? Who's watching the watchers?
If you're concerned about privacy creep in your city, or if this feels like surveillance overreach, I'd love to hear what you think. Anyone else feel like this crossed a line? If it matters to you too, consider signing and sharing the petition.