In Troy, N.Y., a fight over whether to keep AI-enabled automated license plate recognition (ALPR) cameras from Flock Safety has pitted a mayor touting crime reduction against residents alarmed by surveillance, with the mayor declaring a state of emergency to keep the contract alive.
Troy, New York · License Plate Surveillance
A City's AI License-Plate Cameras Spark a "State of Emergency"
26 Flock cameras quietly track every passing car. The mayor declared an emergency to keep the contract alive — the city council sued, and residents call it a "dystopian hellscape." A privacy fight now spreading nationwide.
~26
Flock cameras in Troy, deployed since ~2021
~$80K
Annual taxpayer cost, per resident statement
30
Days default data retention (cloud, encrypted)
None
Facial recognition (per the company)
The Scale of Flock's Network
Plate reads per month vs. arrests it was involved in last year — drawn to scale.
20B+
plate reads
20 billion reads a month — roughly 20,000× the arrest count — feed 12,000+ customers across police, retailers, schools and HOAs.
City's Case
Helped solve a homicide and locate a suspect
Mayor says crime has dropped
"Smartphones are more surveillant"
Deters drive-by shootings
Residents' Objections
Installed without council approval or consent
Builds "patterns of life" on residents
Fear of data sharing with ICE
"$80K spent on a surveillance state"
50+
municipalities cut ties or disabled cameras since 2025
A nationwide backlash is building
Cambridge (MA), Lockhart (TX) and Warrenton (VA) pulled out; Dayton (OH) suspended use over out-of-state immigration searches. The ACLU calls it "mass surveillance," while mapping projects help drivers avoid cameras. In Troy, talks center on halting data sharing and a 60-day usage audit.
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