By: Larry Welshon
Larry submitted this letter to the Echo following our publication yesterday on the city council’s recent deliberation about automatic license plate reader technology provided by FLOCK. This letter was initially sent to the city council after the August 19th work session.
The discussion at the work session this week about FLOCK was very good and I’m glad it was brought up. I am uneasy with our City continuing to contract with FLOCK for ALPR services.
On one hand, the “law and order” part of me loves the idea of catching car thieves. My car got stolen from in front of my house 25 years ago and although it was eventually recovered, the sense of violation stays with me to this day.
On the other hand, I’m growing very concerned about surveillance of all kinds. We now live in a surveillance state and it’s harming us. In my line of work we are seeing children come to us with a new diagnosis called pathological demand avoidance (PDA). If you don’t know about it, you can google it. Suffice to say, the children who have it are all raised on technology. I cannot help but think subconsciously, they are being negatively affected by being watched. I even feel it too!
If I were on Council, I would vote to terminate the contract on principle: a free society should not be under constant surveillance. In our country, citizens are not presumed to be criminals. Moreover, we have no way of knowing how this surveillance infrastructure might be used—or abused—in the future.
What kind of future crisis or problem could arise that would necessitate the monitoring and possible limiting driving of cars by individuals? I think you might be able to imagine scenarios. The FLOCK infrastructure could be adapted very quickly to be a tool of a totalitarian state.
The irony of the name Flock is almost too perfect. Whether in the wild or in a church, a flock is a group that’s herded, not heard—led by a single authority and expected to follow without question. And when we’re talking about birds, we’re talking about bird brains. It’s a fitting name for a surveillance system that treats the public less like citizens and more like livestock.
As Thomas Jefferson said, “I prefer the tumult of liberty to the quiet of servitude.” In that spirit, I’m willing to accept the risk of losing my car to theft rather than live in a constant state of surveillance.
I encourage you to discontinue the FLOCK contract as soon as is practicable.
This article was submitted as an opinion to the Edgewater Echo’s publishing team. Readers are welcome to submit opinions by emailing hello@edgewaterecho.com
Thank you for speaking out Larry, I agree with you.
Why would you worry about being monitored if you’re not doing anything wrong? I’d be more worried about Ai taking control than the government but both scenarios seem a little far fetched.
Great question! It’s because innocent residents are being targeted.