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this post was submitted on 11 Jul 2026
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Okay first- this doesn't mean the cameras get removed. It means LAPD's contract to buy the data lapses.
Even if they demand that every Flock camera on public land is removed, there's still plenty on private land. Some apartments, stores, HOAs, etc willingly host the cameras.
The cameras are wireless and solar powered. So they will continue to report and collect data unless covered or physically removed, or unless Flock remotely turns them off (fat chance of that happening).
With that said, I think LAPD is hoping for some kind of one-off deal that restricts how data is collected in LA and who has access to it / what it's used for.
Flock has little to no interest in a million little one-off deals like this- they may do a few for big areas like LA but in general they want uniform unimpeded access of 'we'll collect everything and store it forever and give you access for a fee'.
The real question to me is what's in the contract re: removal of the cameras. I'd bet Flock makes it hard for the city to demand the cameras be removed.
Lots of people are talking about destroying or removing the cameras. Especially when LAPD isn't even a fan, a simple black garbage bag and some duct tape (over the solar panel and camera) should render the camera largely useless. Then nothing is destroyed and it's more of a stretch to charge you with anything worse than littering.
I can only speak for my city but there was a flock camera for years on a road leading to my house. I pointed it out to someone one day and the next it was gone.
Turns out the mayor had ended the city's contract and all of the cameras were removed.
Granted, nearby there is a hardware store in another city that has flock cameras on each road through the parking lot.
Oh there's solar panels on these?
Shame if they get dismantled and resold for lots of money. Solar panels sell pretty well to the right people.
Solar panels are also like small batteries. If you want a lot of power, get a bunch of them together and string them together in series (for more voltage) or parallel (for more amperage) or both parallel and series (for both voltage and amperage).
So if you just have little panels that put out 12v, get two and you've got 24v, now parallel that and you've got a LOT of 24v, get a basic MPPT solar charge controller for $50 on Amazon, get some old telecom batteries, and a 120v inverter, and you've got a small off grid power system.
They're small solar panels you could use MAYBE to charge a cellphone at most.
Or run a mesh radio for MeshCore.
Guess you'll need to find a bunch of them!
I like your attitude
Charging a cell phone is a big fucking deal if you don't have an apartment
Cludge a couple together and that bright fucker in the sky will probably power quite a few things.
Source: I am from San Bernardino.
That black bag idea is great.
The "gunshot" detection aka always on mics and Bluetooth tracking still work until the battery dies but yeah that's a cheap and easy solution.
Quite true, but it's not really possible to disable that without destroying the camera. And that's quite illegal so you definitely wouldn't ever want to do that. Especially since when you drive up the camera can record the BLE data from your tire pressure sensors and use that to identify you.
"Since the beginning of time, man has yearned to destroy the sun"
-Montgomery Burns