America
Flock Cameras Catch Criminals, But Spark Huge Privacy Revolt
As the Secret Service rushed Trump off to safety that September afternoon in 2024, the would-be assassin, Ryan Wesley Routh, dropped his rifle and scurried across the street. Soon, he was heading north in his black Nissan Xterra,
hoping to make his getaway on I-95. Unbeknownst to Routh, however, a bystander had
snapped a picture of his vehicle. That image, combined with a new system of mass surveillance, would be his undoing. Just minutes after Routh peeled away, authorities added
his vehicle information to the controversial Flock Safety surveillance system. From that point forward, sheriff’s deputies would receive
instant “hotlist” alerts every time the system’s AI-assisted cameras — a network of over 120,000 automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) nationwide — spotted Routh’s vehi- cle as he fled up the interstate. Routh found himself cornered only 50 minutes after
shots are first fired. “Driver!” the arresting officer shouts after the traffic
stop. “Walk straight back . . . keep walking!” Routh is soon in custody. And with that, the dra-
matic, high-tech takedown of Trump’s would-be assassin becomes the latest in over 1 million criminal cases the Flock Safety artificial intelligence network claims it has helped police solve. It’s also reportedly played a role in locating some 10,000
missing persons. But if that arrest marked the high point of the com-
S
Nationwide network of roadside license plate readers triggers acute concerns over “big brother” surveillance. BY DAVID A. PATTEN
ecret service agent robert fercano was in a golf cart scouting ahead of Donald J. Trump at his golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida, when he saw something he will never forget: A man hiding
in the foliage near the sixth hole pointing a rifle at him. Fercano jumped off his golf cart and fired four times to
defend himself before taking cover behind a tree. He called in shots fired to his colleagues as he reloaded.
14 NEWSMAX | OCTOBER 2026
pany’s success, recent months have witnessed a sharp reversal. Flock’s solar-powered ALPRs have begun to trig- ger acute privacy and surveillance concerns throughout the United States. Among the issues raising the ire of both libertarian and progressive civil liberty groups: Three sheriff’s deputies in Bibb County, Georgia, were arrested in August in separate incidents after allegedly using the system to track individuals they had a personal relationship with. Flock CEO Garrett Langley apologized for the system’s abuse. Police Chief Ron Campurciani of Mooresville, North Carolina, fired an officer allegedly caught using the Flock database 31 times to track her boyfriend’s ex-wife. An inves- tigation of 10 other officers turned up violations of policy but no additional criminal allegations.
CHIP SOMODEVILLA/GETTY IMAGES
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108
