Flock cameras are becoming more of a concern to people in Roanoke.
Earlier this week, a Roanoke homeowner discovered that one of the cameras was installed on her property without her knowledge.
The City of Roanoke also announced they were putting a pause on the installation of Flock cameras.
However, the concerns are still out there, which is why a group of concerned citizens are taking matters into their own hands.
The Instagram account “deflockroanoke” has only been active for less than a week, but is already doing its part to raise awareness about Flock cameras.
Casey Meadows is the creator of the organization and says that the idea started with her and a few friends.
“A lot of folks share our concern about mass government surveillance in Roanoke,” Meadows said. “I guess the inspiration was just understanding how dangerous these systems of mass surveillance can be to all of us.”
Scrolling down the account shows multiple posts of Flock cameras alongside visuals of where they are located and what they look like.
Their website - which can be found on the account’s biography - also details more about their mission alongside a petition asking Roanoke City Council to end Flock cameras across the city, alongside some concerns they have.
“One of our concerns is that these systems are tracking our movements and even potentially our conversations without a judicial warrant are suspicion of wrongdoing,” Meadows said. “Just as concerning are some of the deliberate cases of misuse by individuals, police agencies, and even Flock themselves.”
As previously reported In April, the Roanoke City Council voted to install 75 Raven audio detection devices across the city. During the approval process, police described the devices as audio-only with no cameras. Officials said the units are placed in what they call data-driven, high-crime areas, and that the system is event-triggered — not continuous recording. Police also noted the system does not monitor conversations and is funded through grant money.
Flock camera has also said in the past that their devices do not listen in on conversations and only activate when hearing loud bangs similar to gunshots.
10 News has reached out to the city of Roanoke for comment.
Roanoke City Council member Nicholas Hagen said the following about Deflockroanoke:
As an attorney, I share their concerns over fundamental constitutional rights such as the right to privacy guaranteed by our fouth amendment and fourteenth amanedments to the US Constitution and further guranteed to us by the Virginia Constitution.
Nicholas Hagen