by Rich Wright
I’m sure you’re all glad that the local popo aren’t using those Automated License Plate Readers anymore.
From ElPasoTimes.com:
“Following the recent order by Governor Greg Abbott prohibiting state funding for automated license plate readers (ALPRs), the El Paso Police Department has halted the use of state-funded ALPR devices,” El Paso Police Chief Peter Pacillas wrote in a statement. “While ALPRs serve as a critical tool that enhances investigative speed and public safety efficiency, EPPD has always operated this technology under strict oversight, limited access, and rigorous privacy safeguards.”
So I guess we’re in the clear. We won’t have Big Brother breathing down our backs anymore. Right?
Well, no, not quite, because the Texas Department of Public Safety will continue to access data from Flock databases.
From TexasTribune.org:
Gov. Greg Abbott has blocked state agencies from spending money on Flock cameras, but the Texas Department of Public Safety has no apparent plans to stop using its existing roadside surveillance cameras.
. . .
Neither DPS, nor Flock Safety, disclose how many cameras are run by the state agency, though an email shared by a lawmaker on social media shows at least 940 DPS cameras had been installed as of Wednesday. The surveillance reach of the DPS Flock cameras extends far beyond the agency because its data is shared with thousands of Flock users across the state and beyond.
So we don’t have to worry about Big Brother anymore, but Bigger Brother is still watching, and it probably percolates all the way up to the NSA.
So what’s a mother to do?
Here’s a website, Deflock.org, that maps every Flock camera in the U.S., including El Paso and the environs. You can use it to plot your getaway after your next bank robbery or illicit tryst with a policeman’s ex.
Just because the EPPD isn’t watching, that doesn’t mean that no one is watching. And it’s really hard to dance like nobody’s watching when you know that somebody’s watching.
So smile. You’re on camera.
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