The city of Joplin began using Flock surveillance in 2024, implementing license-plate capturing cameras as an investigative aid for the Joplin Police Department. Since its introduction, the technology has prompted community discussion, with an organization called DeFlock Joplin advocating for its reconsideration.
Michael Williams, the lead organizer for DeFlock Joplin, questions the system's integration. Williams, who graduated from MSSU in 2014 with a degree in Computer Forensics and has a career in Information Technology, states that these kinds of systems are "not compatible with the American values that most people hold." His professional work focuses on protecting data and limiting its retention, a perspective that informs his concerns about Flock's data storage practices. DeFlock Joplin aims to educate residents about the system and encourage them to engage with their elected representatives.
While Williams acknowledges some validity in the Joplin Police Department's claims about Flock, he urges a deeper look into its capabilities. Joplin's Chief of Police, Richard Pearson, has previously described Flock's assistance to the department by comparing its capabilities to those of an officer observing a street corner with a radio and notebook. Williams’ research indicates that this comparison is a common sales strategy employed by Flock Safety, a privately-owned company, often targeting local agencies and small towns perceived as being in need of budget-friendly solutions to augment staffing.
DeFlock's research also raises skepticism about claims that monitoring of the cameras is solely for police use. Joplin’s Flock system is connected to a nationwide information-sharing network. This connection grants the Joplin Police Department access to other Flock systems across the country, with Williams noting that Joplin has access to an estimated 90,000 cameras from existing search logs and maintains sharing relationships with 50 other agencies. Approximately 75% of Flock customers utilize this information-sharing feature, leading Williams to raise concerns about accountability within such a large network.
The system has already seen recorded misuse by officers in Joplin. After an initial network audit from Washington State detected suspicious activity, an investigation confirmed that a Joplin police officer had abused the technology. Since this incident, Flock's network audits have been readjusted, and the company recently introduced an automated alert system to detect suspicious activity, a feature previously absent. Williams has observed similar incidents elsewhere, noting that widespread data generation often outpaces current laws, and the Fourth Amendment frequently does not apply to such data.
DeFlock Joplin continues its efforts to inform residents about the technology and its implications.
