DEFLOCK MORONGO BASIN

Our Community Is Not a Surveillance Zone

Yucca Valley, Morongo Valley, and Joshua Tree are our homes. We should not have to sacrifice our privacy to feel safe in them.

Flock Safety cameras have been introduced throughout the Morongo Basin under the promise of public safety. But these cameras don’t only identify people suspected of crimes. They scan ordinary people going about their daily lives.

Every time a vehicle passes, information can be captured about the vehicle, its location, the date, and the time. When those records are collected over and over again, they can create a detailed picture of where people travel.

That’s not just a license plate. That’s a record of our movements.

HERE ARE THE FACTS:

Flock has had documented security failures. At least 60 Flock cameras were exposed on the public internet without password protection, and a congressional investigation identified at least 35 stolen Flock customer accounts.

Authorized access can also be abused. Recent investigations have raised concerns about officers using Flock systems for improper searches and personal purposes.

California is already fighting over ALPR data sharing. Attorney General Rob Bonta sued the City of El Cajon over alleged unlawful sharing of ALPR data with out-of-state law-enforcement agencies.

Communities across the country are reconsidering Flock. More than 50 jurisdictions have ended their relationships with Flock or taken steps to reconsider the technology.

And here in Yucca Valley, residents are paying approximately $130,200 in the first year and $105,600 every year after that for this system, according to the City Manager’s staff report.

That’s taxpayer money that could instead be invested directly into strengthening our communities; improving emergency response, supporting education and community programs, providing safe school bus benches, expanding affordable housing, supporting autism services, and helping our local animal shelters prevent unnecessary euthanasia caused by overcrowding and limited capacity.

MYTH: “If you’re not doing anything wrong, you have nothing to worry about.”

REALITY: Privacy is not about hiding crime. It’s about protecting innocent people from unnecessary tracking, misuse, data breaches, and government overreach.

MYTH: “Flock only tracks criminals.”

REALITY: The cameras scan vehicles passing them. They don’t know who is a criminal before collecting the information.

Everyone gets scanned.

We should not accept mass surveillance simply because it is marketed as safety.

We can support law enforcement and demand limits on surveillance.

We can want criminals held accountable and protect innocent residents.

We can use technology to investigate crimes without creating a searchable history of everyone’s movements.

WE ARE ASKING OUR CITY COUNCILS TO ACT.

Cancel Flock contracts.
Remove the Flock cameras.
Stop plans for additional cameras.
Protect our community’s privacy.

We don’t need faulty technology and mass surveillance to make the Morongo Basin safer.

We need accountable public safety that protects the people it is supposed to serve.

Morongo Basin is our home.

Let’s keep it a community, not a surveillance zone.

Please sign the petition and leave a personal comment explaining why privacy and responsible public safety matter to you!

Curtis Yakimow

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