Hyattsville Residents Organizing Against Flock Cameras

A group of Hyattsville residents is organizing to get rid of the city’s Flock cameras.

Amid nationwide protests against the automatic license-reading cameras, the group DeFlock HVL formed to press the city to end its contract with Flock.

Earlier this week, members of the group spoke out against the cameras at a Hyattsville city council meeting. The group has also created a flyer, posted an explainer, and set up a private email list to plan future protests.

Recent investigations, lawsuits, and news reports have uncovered multiple instances of abuse of license plate readers, including a Florida officer who ran 382 searches on his ex-girlfriend, a Kansas police department that tracked a resident who had written an opinion column critical ofthem, and Texas police officers attempting to see if a woman had left the state to get an abortion.

The cameras have also been criticized for sharing information with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and for having a high rate of false positives.

Under a contract signed with Flock in 2025, Hyattsville has 24 automated license-plate readers around the city and three mounted on police cars. Data from the stationary cameras is stored for 30 days and then deleted, while data collected from the mobile units is kept for one year, according to city policy.

A national map created by DeFlock shows cameras around the Route 1 corridor.

To sign up for the DeFlock HVL list, go here.

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