Documented Incident
New Bedford City Council moves to ban Flock license plate cameras amid privacy concerns
First reported: August 26, 2026 · 2 sources
The New Bedford, Massachusetts City Council has taken action to remove Flock Safety automated license plate reader cameras from the city, according to a WCVB report. The move followed public concern over privacy and a police department review that drew additional scrutiny to the technology. Details of the council's measure, including its final legal status and timeline, were not specified in the report.
New Bedford joins a growing set of municipalities where elected bodies, rather than police departments, have decided whether ALPR networks continue operating — a pattern other communities weighing Flock contracts may look to.
Key facts
- The New Bedford City Council moved to remove Flock Safety cameras from the city.
- Privacy concerns raised publicly and a police department review preceded the council's action.
- Reported by WCVB-Boston; the report does not detail the measure's final adoption, vote count, or effective date.
Sources
This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.
- New Bedford council moves to ban Flock cameras after privacy uproar (Yahoo! News, August 26, 2026)
- New Bedford City Council takes steps to ban Flock cameras after privacy uproar (wcvb.com, August 26, 2026)
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About this record
BlockFlockNow documents reported incidents involving Flock Safety cameras and automated license plate readers: council votes, contract decisions, misuse by authorized users, lawsuits, audits, and community response. Every record is reviewed by a person before publication. New to the topic? Start with What is Flock?, find meetings near you, or learn how to request your town's camera records.
Updated August 27, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.