On Oct 13th, Director Hines called Flock opposition "disingenuous" because phones track you, and Home Depot has cameras in its parking lot (https://youtu.be/uF6zvGM67Go?t=2428). That comparison doesn't hold up. Those are choices; Flock isn't.
- Don't like Depot's cameras? Shop at Fuller Hardware, Kraftco, Ace, Kaufman, or any local business that offers similar products and services.
- Don't want your phone tracking you? Don't pair Bluetooth to your car, keep Wi-Fi/BT off, turn off location, and use a VPN.
- City Flock cameras at intersections? No opt-out. Drive in Little Rock and you're in the database. An officer sees one plate.
Flock logs every car, every intersection.
Some big-box lot cameras are Flock, and stores can share that data with police, so they aren't separate from the city system. It's the same network reaching into private lots. In June, the Supreme Court ruled police need a warrant for phone location history. Flock builds the same kind of location history for cars, with no warrant. That gap is why guardrails matter.
LRPD doesn't need a warrant to search Flock data.
- 114 cameras logged ~701,000 vehicles in the last 30 days. Every read is kept 30 days and shared with other agencies around the state.
- We're paying ~$345K/yr for the subscription, roughly five fully equipped patrol cars every year.
- Misuse is already happening. Vice Mayor Wyrick cited four incidents since May. The public only knows because KATV asked; LRPD's audit results aren't posted anywhere.
LRPD does have a Flock transparency portal, but it's hosted by the vendor, not linked anywhere on the City's website, and blocks VPN users: https://transparency.flocksafety.com/little-rock-ar-pd. It gives a camera count but not locations. The only maps are crowdsourced, third-party sites.
Simple requests:
- Link the portal from LRPD's and littlerock.gov's sites.
- Publish where the 114 cameras are.
- Publish the list of agencies LRPD shares Flock data with.
- Post the six-month statistics state law already requires (Ark. Code § 12-12-1805): scans, matches, arrests.
- Post audit results publicly after each audit, monthly or quarterly: number of searches audited, violations found, and what was done about them.
Bottom line: choice vs. no choice is the whole issue. Director Phillips is bringing back the transparency ordinance, possibly with a Flock non-renewal amendment. It failed 3–5 in December with two absent and needs six "Yes" to pass. It's worth calling or emailing your director before it comes up.
Our plates are "public data," but the camera locations and audit results aren't? Transparency should run both ways.
