This California city just approved the use of Flock drones as first responders, but residents are worried about 'militarization and surveillance'

Date:
Wed, 10 Jun 2026 20:00:00 +0000

Stockton, California, just invested millions of dollars in Flock drones to
act as first responders -- Surveillance and
privacy are huge concerns for individuals across the world right now, and municipal leaders in the California city of Stockton are the latest to
attract criticism for a controversial drone expansion program that's ostensibly being undertaken in the interests of public safety.

As reported by Stocktonia , the city council recently gave the thumbs up to a $3.15 million investment in drones manufactured by Flock, on top of the automatic license readers the company already supplies. These drones can act as airborne first responders, giving police eyes on a 911 call situation in
as little as 30 seconds. The sales pitch is that officers will be better informed when they arrive, and that some incidents could be handled remotely. "It'll really enhance what we already have, in that we get quick deployments, real time updates for officers on scene," said Police Lt. David Padula when the deal was approved.

However, while city leaders all liked the drone program, there has been massive public opposition against it. Issues around privacy, immigration enforcement, and mass surveillance have been raised by residents not just in regards to how the drones are used, but how the data they collect is stored and shared.

These drones aren't widely used in the US, but there are active programs in some cities in states, including Texas, Indiana, and Connecticut. The license plate readers are far more widespread, with more than 100,000 now in use .

"It sends the wrong
message," said local activist group The Stockton Community Check-In Booth in
a statement after the council decision. "While our residents continue to struggle under the financial impacts of this administration and economy, Stockton continues to invest in militarization and surveillance."

"Private organizations can control your data from those Flock cameras, and because they're privately owned, you can't even use freedom of information to find out what they have about you," said Stockton Republican congressional candidate John McBride, calling the use of the drones "a total invasion of privacy".

According to Flock, local agencies remain in control of the data. It states that it doesn't work with ICE, and that federal agencies are blocked from discovering or requesting data held by Stockton. Drone flights are logged on
a public-facing dashboard, and Stockton police will own 100% of the data they collect.

However, Flock has run into trouble elsewhere: It has previously been found
to be sharing access with US Customs and Border Protection in Colorado and Illinois , though it says these practices have now been stopped. In Texas, police used a Flock camera network to track the movements of a woman who had an abortion .

In other areas, authorities haven't been so welcoming to Flock and its systems. In Mountain View, California, a Flock network of cameras was
recently scrapped over concerns about unauthorized access. Follow TechRadar
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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/cameras/drones/this-california-city-just-approved-th e-use-of-flock-drones-as-first-responders-but-residents-are-worried-about-mili tarization-and-surveillance

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