Demand City Council remove Flock equipment from Roanoke.
The Issue
We the undersigned demand that Roanoke City Council defend our constitutional rights under the Fourth Amendment and protect its citizens from harmful and unnecessary surveillance.
Flock Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) and Raven audio systems create a vast network of government surveillance that tracks the movements of ordinary, law-abiding people without a warrant and without suspicion of wrongdoing. These systems collect and store sensitive location data that can be accessed, shared, and potentially misused by agencies far beyond our local community.
Recent years have demonstrated how quickly surveillance tools can expand beyond their original purpose. As federal authorities increasingly seek greater access to personal information and movement data, systems such as Flock create an infrastructure that can be exploited by future administrations or agencies with authoritarian ambitions, threatening the privacy and freedoms of every citizen regardless of political belief.
The risks are not theoretical. Automated surveillance systems have repeatedly produced errors that have led to innocent people being stopped, questioned, detained, or investigated.
Across the country, police officers and departments have also been caught abusing access to law enforcement databases for personal, political, or improper purposes. Flock itself has faced scrutiny over data security, information sharing, and the growing scope of its surveillance network.
No safeguard, oversight committee, or policy can eliminate the risk of abuse when the government possesses the ability to monitor the movements of an entire population. The most effective protection for our constitutional rights is to prevent the creation of such surveillance systems in the first place.
We therefore call upon Roanoke City Council to prohibit the purchase, installation, use, and expansion of Flock Safety ALPR and Raven systems within the City of Roanoke and to affirm that the privacy and constitutional rights of its citizens are not for sale, convenience, or compromise.
Privacy is a right, not a privilege. We urge Roanoke City Council to reject mass surveillance and protect the freedoms guaranteed to every resident.
224
The Issue
We the undersigned demand that Roanoke City Council defend our constitutional rights under the Fourth Amendment and protect its citizens from harmful and unnecessary surveillance.
Flock Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) and Raven audio systems create a vast network of government surveillance that tracks the movements of ordinary, law-abiding people without a warrant and without suspicion of wrongdoing. These systems collect and store sensitive location data that can be accessed, shared, and potentially misused by agencies far beyond our local community.
Recent years have demonstrated how quickly surveillance tools can expand beyond their original purpose. As federal authorities increasingly seek greater access to personal information and movement data, systems such as Flock create an infrastructure that can be exploited by future administrations or agencies with authoritarian ambitions, threatening the privacy and freedoms of every citizen regardless of political belief.
The risks are not theoretical. Automated surveillance systems have repeatedly produced errors that have led to innocent people being stopped, questioned, detained, or investigated.
Across the country, police officers and departments have also been caught abusing access to law enforcement databases for personal, political, or improper purposes. Flock itself has faced scrutiny over data security, information sharing, and the growing scope of its surveillance network.
No safeguard, oversight committee, or policy can eliminate the risk of abuse when the government possesses the ability to monitor the movements of an entire population. The most effective protection for our constitutional rights is to prevent the creation of such surveillance systems in the first place.
We therefore call upon Roanoke City Council to prohibit the purchase, installation, use, and expansion of Flock Safety ALPR and Raven systems within the City of Roanoke and to affirm that the privacy and constitutional rights of its citizens are not for sale, convenience, or compromise.
Privacy is a right, not a privilege. We urge Roanoke City Council to reject mass surveillance and protect the freedoms guaranteed to every resident.
Supporter Voices
Petition Updates
Share this petition
Petition created on June 22, 2026