The widespread rollout of these automated license plate readers often occurs without the knowledge of the residents they monitor. NBC News identified 55 specific jurisdictions where officials justified the avoidance of competitive bidding by claiming the firm’s technology possesses unique, incomparable market attributes. By labeling the equipment as a singular solution, agencies evade the standard public review process designed to weigh community privacy concerns against security needs.
How Flock bypasses local oversight to install surveillance networks
Dozens of municipalities have quietly deployed Flock Safety surveillance cameras, effectively sidestepping public accountability through strategic contract manipulation. An investigation reveals that local authorities frequently utilize no-bid agreements or artificially suppressed pricing to bypass the legislative scrutiny typically required for such expansive digital monitoring infrastructure.
In addition to no-bid strategies, administrators have exploited administrative loopholes to keep projects off the agenda. At least 11 instances involved contracts priced intentionally below the financial thresholds that trigger mandatory local council votes. This maneuver allows police departments and municipal offices to integrate surveillance hardware into the urban landscape while shielding the procurement process from the public discourse that usually accompanies government technology investments.
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