Stafford is Flock-less

Last week, Windsor became the first town in Connecticut to “deflock” itself. What does that mean? Well, the town joined a growing list of municipalities across the country who are turning off automated license plate readers (ALPRs), commonly referred to by the brand name “Flock.” As WTNH reports, “Flock Safety cameras are Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) powered by artificial intelligence. The cameras are mounted on poles, and they snap pictures of a vehicle’s license plate(s), make and model, and the time the vehicle passes. There are 16 of them throughout Windsor, mounted on black poles underneath solar panels.” Killingworth has indicated it may follow suit. 

That got Stafford Free Press thinking about our little hamlet. Are Staffordites being “Flocked”? The website deflock.org maps these cameras, and a quick search shows that while Stafford is surrounded by towns that employ these cameras, and Interstate 84 is a hotbed of ALPR activity, Stafford is a Flock desert.

While proponents of ALPRs say they help solve millions of crimes, others have raised concerns about the growing surveillance state—and quite often, the combination of these cameras with Artificial Intelligence (AI) leads to a whole other set of problems, including false allegations.

One woman was accused of stealing a package simply because she was seen driving through a neighborhood multiple times. She said that’s just how she gets to work. In other cases, police have been accused of using the cameras to stalk people they were romantically interested in, “including current partners, exes, and even strangers who unwittingly caught their eye in public.” Recent reporting has suggested some law enforcement has even used the network to search for and track individuals using relatively vague descriptions, going beyond just reading license plates. 

Of course, Stafford’s lack of Flock cameras doesn’t mean there are no cameras. Never forget the winter of 2026 when a camera on Main Street captured youthful shenanigans in which someone on a snowboard came flying down Fiske Avenue and out onto a snowy Main Street.