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By Dwight D. Weidman
This shouldn’t surprise anyone who follows politics…….and that would be far too few of you, but most politicians of both parties and at all levels are cowards who have never come across a group or principle they won’t throw under the bus for the sake of a few cheap political points.
We’re now witnessing that unfortunate trait with the unprecedented cowardice and cynicism of elected officials who are waving the white flag over an issue that affects law enforcement in a crime-ridden country: Flock Cameras.
As we all know by now, Flock Cameras are surveillance systems made by Flock Safety that record and analyze activity around roads by using automated license plate readers (ALPRs) to scan the rear of passing vehicles. They also can include other camera types like PTZ (pan-tilt-zoom) cameras, and their footage/data may be used in investigations by authorized customers such as some law enforcement agencies.
They have been used by law enforcement agencies to solve thousands of crimes. In 2025 alone, Flock Cameras helped locate more than 10,000 missing persons, or over 27 per day, and 42% of flock customers have recovered more than half of stolen vehicles in their jurisdiction using these cameras. Despite these good numbers, large numbers of citizens are being turned against them because of negative press, cynical and opportunistic politicians, and of course the fake news oozing from a small but loud group of radicals, tinfoil hats, and narco-libertarians who live on social media.
Most of the protests you hear about Flock Cameras rely on the old trope of “violation of privacy” which is false, since the 4th Amendment of the Constitution doesn’t grant any right to privacy in public. Of course, those who are the most vociferous in their opposition to being tracked in public are usually those with the most to hide, such as human traffickers, illegal aliens, dopeheads, or those who support such activity. It’s also ironic that most of those who are wringing their hands about their mythical “right to privacy” are dependent on smart devices that track their every move and practically every word and thought.
Now, back to politicians for a moment. We’ve seen people like Florida Governor Ron De Santis, who is apparently still under the delusion that he may be presidential material, talk about getting rid of Flock Cameras in Florida. Here in Pennsylvania, both gubernatorial candidates, Josh Shapiro and Stacy Garrity, are racing each other to get to the tall grass on the issue, which shows that the difference between a PA Republican and a PA Democrat becomes paper thin the moment they get close to Harrisburg. Of course, all of these pols are being egged on by sensationalist media stories about the handful of cases where Flock Camera data was misused.
Not to be outdone, our Franklin County Commissioners have also added their names to the dishonor role by kowtowing to the mob by refusing to renew the county’s small contract with Flock, giving the local rent-a-mob more incentive to hamper law enforcement. While the ill-informed may think that we don’t need more law enforcement tools like Flock Cameras here, think again, since Franklin County has more than it’s share of crime, drugs and illegal aliens, and the county actually led Pennsylvania in the number of reported Human Trafficking cases during the period of 2020-2024.
The hysteria over Flock Cameras is overblown and has actually led to cases of local riff raff destroying a few of them. Concern about the so-called “surveillance state” is misdirected and needs to be addressed through legislation and not the “throw the baby out with the bath water” approach that is being used by lazy politicians who are more concerned with their own political ambitions than public safety.
Flock Safety, the manufacturer of these and other security devices, has already taken steps to ensure that the rights of law-abiding citizens are being protected with this technology, and politicians know this, but insist on dishonestly trolling for votes by playing up the false “privacy violation” narrative. Maybe we need to ask ourselves if these elected clowns really believe their own lies, or maybe just don’t trust themselves with what the technology delivers. It’s certainly food for thought.
Dwight Weidman is a resident of Greene Township and is a graduate of Shepherd University. He is retired from the United States Department of Defense, where his career included assignments In Europe, Asia, and Central America. He has been in leadership roles for the Republican Party in two states, most recently serving two terms as Chairman of the Franklin County Republican Party. He has been an Amateur Radio Operator since 1988, getting his first license in Germany, a past volunteer with both Navy and Army MARS, Military Auxiliary Radio Service, and is also an NRA-certified firearms instructor. In his spare time, he dabbles in genealogy and learning new languages.
