FLOCK: What You Need to Know – By Laurel Allen
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Recently, there has been a buzz within the community about the FLOCK cameras placed on the roads entering and leaving the community. These cameras were installed as a result of a motion during a meeting with the County Commissioners on August 21, 2025. These cameras were installed in November of the same year and cost the county $15,000 annually.
Many people within the community are concerned about the FLOCK cameras due to the privacy breaches within other counties. In Albany, 5 cops were fired for misuse of these cameras, and across the states, reckless officers have used the cameras to track the locations of unsuspecting women. Sheriff Robert Phillips claims to be creating a policy to prevent such uses, stating that “only two people here will have access to it. They will have to sign a log every time they go into it and state their specific purpose. I will inspect that log once a month and any deviation can mean disciplinary action up to and including termination.” The two people who will have access to these cameras are the Chief Deputy and Lieutenant Nick McDowell.
According to the Sheriff, the 4th amendment does not apply to public settings, such as the roads that these FLOCK cameras are placed on. Rather, a situation must fit the criteria within the Reasonable Expectation of Privacy Test. The individual in question must exhibit an actual expectation of privacy, and the expectation must be one in which society deems reasonable. Since the cameras are capturing footage of cars in a public setting (those that are meant to capture people are known as Condors), the Sheriff believes that there is no expectation of privacy.
Some people are concerned about the Artificial Intelligence integration within FLOCK, as many small communities lack clean drinking water due to generative AI data centers. Currently, AI is used as a buzzword throughout corporate spaces to make their company sound as though they are keeping up with the latest technology. As they use AI for alerts and do not explain how it is used, it is unclear whether this is generative AI or an older, safer type of AI.
The concerns within the community are clear, and the best thing to do is be proactive. Community members are encouraged to do their own research on the topic, and to go to county commissioner meetings so that they may know when similar things are implemented or voice their concerns.
