St. Petersburg Flock cameras: Man stages weekly protests over privacy concerns
Flock Camera controversy
A retired Florida resident is spending his weekends raising awareness about automated surveillance by protesting outside St. Petersburg Flock cameras. FOX 13's Jennifer Kveglis reports.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - A retired Florida resident is spending his weekends raising awareness about automated surveillance by protesting outside St. Petersburg Flock cameras.
St. Petersburg Flock cameras protest
What we know:
Every Saturday, 77-year-old Carl Gunn sets up beneath a different camera with a homemade sign attached to a nearly 10-foot pool skimmer. He wants to peacefully draw attention to unanswered privacy concerns surrounding the technology rather than vandalize property.
"I said, ‘what can I do to voice my opinion?’" Gunn said. "They're destroying property. I don't want to do that."
Police camera data collection
By the numbers:
St. Petersburg police report that roughly 50 Flock cameras are currently installed throughout the city. These automatic license plate readers capture vehicle images and compare them against law enforcement hot lists.
License plate reader privacy concerns
The other side:
Gunn worries about how long vehicle data is stored and who can access it, creating a sense of constant surveillance.
"Somebody is watching, and they're watching all of us," he said.
Charles Degliomini, the vice president of Rekor Systems, explained that agencies use stored information to search for specific license plates or vehicle descriptions during investigations. He noted that retention varies based on incident severity.
Flock safety data security
What they're saying:
Flock Safety states that data sharing between agencies remains disabled by default and only activates if the data owner enables it. The company also emphasizes that every search creates a permanent, immutable audit trail.
Upcoming surveillance protest details
What's next:
Gunn plans to continue his weekly demonstrations and will protest this Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the intersection of Third Street South and Sixth Avenue South in St. Petersburg. He welcomes anyone who shares his concerns to join him.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from St. Petersburg resident Carl Gunn, who explained his protest motivations during an interview with FOX 13, as well as Charles Degliomini, vice president of Rekor Systems, along with data and details provided by the St. Petersburg Police Department and Flock Safety.