The following content has been provided by Nick LeBlanc. “Over the past few weeks, more New Bedford residents have learned about concerns surrounding the city’s Flock automated license plate reader (ALPR) system—and many have started asking how we got here and what happens next.”
Here’s a brief overview of what we know, why we’re calling for an end to Flock surveillance, and how you can get involved.
How We Got Here
New Bedford purchased its Flock system in November 2024 for $81,000, including six standalone cameras and 15 city cameras equipped with Flock technology.
The cameras were already being used before the city had finalized its policies. Police conducted searches in December 2024, while the formal agreement with Flock was not signed until January 2025 and the department’s ALPR policy was not published until February.
The purchase also did not involve a dedicated public hearing or open City Council vote. There was no publicly documented privacy impact assessment, published criteria for camera placement, or independent oversight when the system was deployed.
The most significant concerns emerged after audit logs were obtained and reviewed.
Between December 2024 and July 2025, outside law enforcement agencies conducted 2,976,131 searches of New Bedford’s Flock data, involving 4,485 agencies. Only about 4% of those searches came from Massachusetts agencies; approximately 96% came from agencies elsewhere in the country, including Texas, Georgia, Florida and Virginia.
Federal agencies also appear in the records, including U.S. Border Patrol and Homeland Security Investigations, an ICE component.
This raises an important question: If nationwide and federal access was supposed to be disabled, how were these agencies able to search New Bedford’s data?
Why This Matters
The records do not show that New Bedford’s cameras were directly used by ICE to make an arrest, nor have we found evidence of a coordinated plan between the New Bedford Police Department and federal immigration authorities.
What the records do show is that New Bedford’s cameras operate within a much larger national network, allowing law enforcement agencies in other jurisdictions to access information collected here.
Other Massachusetts communities—including Cambridge, Watertown, Natick, Greenfield, Attleboro and Salem—have rejected, suspended, canceled or declined to renew Flock contracts over concerns about data sharing, vendor controls and accountability.
Then, on August 11, the New Bedford Police Department suspended the entire Flock system after an internal investigation began into an allegation that a patrol officer had used the system to track an ex-girlfriend. The allegation remains subject to due process, but it prompted the Chief to review how the technology has been used since its installation.
Our Position
We believe New Bedford should abolish Flock surveillance.
At this point, stronger policies and promises of increased oversight are not enough. Concerns about misuse and data sharing are no longer hypothetical, and evidence of alleged misuse has surfaced within our own community.
A technology capable of tracking people’s movements—and making that information accessible through a broader law-enforcement network—requires an extraordinary level of trust, transparency and accountability.
We believe neither Flock nor the NBPD has earned the public’s trust to administer or operate this system.
With New Bedford’s prepaid contract set to expire on November 12, the city has a clear opportunity to change course.
Our position is simple: abolish the use of Flock surveillance in New Bedford.
Keep Showing Up
On August 20, a City Council meeting was halted and the Flock-related motions were tabled after attendees expressed strong disagreement with some councilors’ comments. A special meeting is now being held to discuss the Flock motions.
The turnout so far has shown that residents are paying attention and demanding action from their elected officials. We need to keep that momentum going.
That means attending meetings, bringing friends and neighbors, asking questions, and making sure our elected officials understand that concerns about Flock surveillance are not going away.
Upcoming Community Meeting
Monday, August 24 | 6–8 p.m.
Greater Southeastern Massachusetts Labor Council
560 Pleasant Street, New Bedford
Councilor Shane Burgo is holding a community meeting focused on outreach and clarifying the City Council’s role in addressing community concerns.
Please bring your friends, family and neighbors. Showing up in numbers makes an impact.
Please bring your friends, family, and neighbors. Showing up in numbers makes the largest impact.
On Tuesday, the New Bedford City Council will hold a special meeting to take up the tabled motions regarding Flock surveillance from the suspended meeting on 8/20. One thing to know before you come: the Council has been clear that they are prepared to have people removed from the chamber if they feel they need to, and they will most likely be hardline about it.
Special Meeting of the New Bedford City Council
Tuesday, August 25, 7 p.m.
New Bedford City Hall
133 William Street, New Bedford
