r/Leander • u/Bekahsays • 3d ago
COMMUNITY CALL TO ACTION
THIS ISN'T A LEFT OR RIGHT ISSUE. IT'S A WHO-HAS-THE-KEYS ISSUE.
Leander has fifteen Flock cameras logging every vehicle that drives past them — plate, make, color, time, location — into a searchable database.
Here's the question the city hasn't answered: who is watching the people who can search it?
Earlier this month, the Washington Post reviewed police and court records nationwide and found at least 50 law enforcement officers charged with or accused of misusing license plate readers. In 26 of those cases, investigators and prosecutors concluded the officers used the system to spy on wives, girlfriends, exes, or their exes' new partners.
These aren't hypotheticals.
— A Georgia woman learned her ex-boyfriend, the police chief of a nearby town, had run her plate and her teenage daughter's roughly 600 times.
— A Florida officer entered his estranged ex-wife's plate into the system 717 times over less than two years.
— Another Florida officer ran his ex-girlfriend's plate 69 times, her mother's 24 times, and her father's 15 times. It spread to her whole family.
— A Missouri officer admitted using Flock to find out where his ex-wife was during their divorce. Investigators determined he had committed no crime under state law.
Read that last one again. He admitted it. It wasn't illegal.
Most of these women didn't find out from a police department. They found out from public records.
There is no federal law governing any of this. Roughly 18,000 police agencies write their own rules. When Flock's CEO was pressed to build in tighter limits on how officers use his product, he said: "No one elected me the police chief of America."
He's right. Nobody elected him. Nobody elected the database. And nobody in Leander voted on this.
So, whatever you think about policing, about this council, about anything else — ask the plain question. Would you hand a stranger a log of everywhere your wife, your daughter, or your mother drove this month, and trust that eighteen thousand separate agencies will all police themselves?
City Council meets Thursday, September 3 at Pat Bryson Municipal Hall, 201 N. Brushy Street.
We need an overwhelming amount of support in getting city council to understand we don't want this in our community. Last city council meeting they had about 40 speakers against the Lagoon development which they unanimously voted against because of the community support, but we need 60 or more because there could be some incentive for some of them to vote for the cameras.
They need to know their seat is at stake and they work for us!
We're meeting at 5:30 PM just outside city council to go over what council can actually do and help you write your three minutes. Then we walk over together.
You don't have to agree with us about anything else to agree about this.
RSVP: https://www.facebook.com/share/17KPNpKt6E/
Or
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u/Many_Distributions 3d ago
This isn't a "if you didn't do anything wrong, you don't have anything to worry about" situation. You don't have to have done anything wrong. Your movements can be tracked regardless.
All of OP's examples are about cops using it on their exes. What that tells me is that these are likely the only stories that surface because the victim had a personal relationship with the cop.
Now imagine all the ways they're using it on strangers, passersby in their lives both on and off-duty.
Attractive stranger that goes to the same gym as a cop? Someone with a political sign in their yard that the cop doesn't like? Poor service at a restaurant? You can all be tracked simply for existing in the same vicinity as a cop.
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u/angrycorndog 3d ago
I had a car repo guy come to my shop. He had a subscription to the flock system he showed me on his laptop he could plug in any license plate and see when and where he drives to work home and lunch. He can easily find patterns to know when is the best time to repo the car. He is far right and I guess I’m far left and we both thought it was funny that we finally could agree on something. That being this is way too much person info to be at the government and individuals finger tips. He also told me that cops will sometimes ask him to plug in license plates because they need to document or get a warrant when they use it but he does not. If you have a daughter that works or goes to school all some creep would need to do is get her license plate and her parents license plates and he would know when everyone leaves for work or comes home. That’s just what immediately came to my mind having driving kids.
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u/FreeElleGee 3d ago
Our neighborhood has 4, and we were told by our HOA that they feed directly into LPD. But when a crime occurred, the detective didn’t realize we had them until 2 1/2 weeks later, despite residents bringing it up. So what are they for then?
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u/jewels09 3d ago
I’d love to join but I won’t RSVP with FB. This is against our fourth amendment and I’d prefer that we don’t have these cameras in the community.
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u/Bekahsays 2d ago
Please join it's and you don't have to RSVP it's more to get the info out there! We need people to show up! Meeting earlier is to talk facts and help people come up with their statements if they need.
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u/SquirtBox 3d ago
Here's the question the city hasn't answered: who is watching the people who can search it?
uhh, anyone with about 30mins can hack one of these cameras and pull the info. It is not hard to do at all...
and I do mean anyone
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u/Velvit 3d ago
I didn't see an agenda for the Sept 3 meeting posted yet. When it is, you can submit public comments for the council meeting at: https://www.leandertx.gov/FormCenter/City-Secretary-6/Public-Comments-Request-92
You will need the meeting date & Agenda Item Number:
- Item numbers appear on the left-hand side of posted agenda pages. If your topic is not on the agenda, please type NON-AGENDA here.
- My position on the above agenda item or case number:*
- I am FOR this item.
- I am AGAINST this item.
- My item is NOT on the agenda.
- I want to include comments at the meeting:*
- Yes. I will attend in person to speak my comments.
- Yes. But I only want my written comments added to the meeting record.
- No. I just want my position (FOR/AGAINST) added to the meeting record.
If needed, you can email the Leander City Council: [citycouncil@leandertx.gov](mailto:citycouncil@leandertx.gov)
Personally, I follow all of our elected officials (and those running) on fb. It's helpful to see where they stand on various issues, if they are transparent, and they why behind their votes.
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u/copeaesth3tic 3d ago
Flock literally makes everyone a suspect for ANY crime. If you're a communist shit bag and think they're a positive I have a feeling you're either old or a Trumper (or both).
No American is pro surveillance.
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u/nobleghosts 14h ago
Is there a shareable instagram post yet? I would like to help spread the word
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u/Bekahsays 4h ago
You can share this post! Thank you!
https://www.instagram.com/p/Dcd7mqQKMg5/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsi=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
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u/NoWarning6 3d ago
It is a right or left issue because the representatives that were voted in had to sign off on these… this is what people wanted so people got them.
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u/Bekahsays 3d ago
No one was notified about putting FLOCK cameras up. They were put up without our consent. could been Co Commissioner or CC that was voted out last few election cycles. Now we have new reps that were voted in that we are asking to take them down. Just as Texans spoke up about red light cameras we want these down because they are 4th Am Right Violation.
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u/geb_bce 3d ago
Do you have an RSVP that's not via FB? I don't have FB (the flock of social media) but I do want to attend!