06/08/2026
I don’t normally voice my opinion on local politics, but recently, Mercersburg Borough Council quickly voted to approve the installation of three Flock Cameras in our little town. Flock cameras identify the license plate number, vehicle make, model, color, and unique features like bumper stickers, roof racks, or damage on all passing cars. The data is checked against law enforcement “hotlists”. If there is a match, an alert is instantly sent to local police.
My immediate reaction was similar to many others, “I follow the law, why should I care if there are cameras”. However, when given time to critically think about it, I don’t believe the pros outweigh the cons. Coming from Washington, DC, I was accustomed to police on every block and cameras following our every move. Part of the joy of living in a small tight-knit community is that we generally unsubscribe from nationwide mass-surveillance. Regardless of our political party, most of us believe that big government should stay out of our everyday lives. Ironically, those often pushing for these cameras are those that once advocated for “small government”.
Once the Flock systems are installed, everyday citizens cannot opt out of having their vehicle’s location and movements logged, stored, and shared across a network. Innocent drivers lose their anonymity and their information is provided to law enforcement without a warrant.
Investigations have shown that data from Flock has been shared with third parties and even used to track romantic lovers and individuals seeking out-of-state reproductive healthcare. There have also been reported cases of misidentification errors, disproportionately affecting people of color.
I genuinely believe the proponents of these cameras have good intentions- a desire to aid in the identification of criminals who may drive through our relatively safe area. However, I’m troubled that Borough Council spent far more time discussing and voting on permitting chicken coops in Mercersburg.
I urge other citizens that want to preserve our unique and endangered privacy in Mercersburg to attend the next Council meeting, Monday June 8th at 7:00PM.
