Mountain Home · Baxter County · Arkansas
Remove Flock cameras in Mountain Home
Automated license plate readers photograph every passing car and store where it was, when, and what it looks like. Neighbors have mapped four roadside ALPR-style cameras here. The City separately authorized a $65,000 police camera purchase in 2023. Who can search that data, how long it is kept, and who it is shared with are questions residents are entitled to answer — and we can end the program with ordinary, lawful civic action.
Our position: removal, not "regulate and keep"
This group exists to organize neighbors to attend City Council and Quorum Court meetings and push for removal or non-renewal of Flock ALPR surveillance in Mountain Home and Baxter County. Policy tweaks that leave the cameras up are not the goal. We work only through lawful means: public records, public comment, contract and budget scrutiny, audits, petitions, and votes.
What we can document today
Official record
$65,000
Avigilon camera purchase for the Mountain Home Police Department, authorized by City Council ordinance on August 24, 2023, through Critical Edge.
Community mapped
4 pins
Roadside ALPR-style cameras mapped by DeFlock / OpenStreetMap as of August 1, 2026. Ownership still needs official confirmation.
State limit
~150 days
Arkansas' general retention cap for ALPR data, with exceptions when the data is tied to an active investigation.
Confirmed capability
No plate needed
Flock's Vehicle Fingerprint / FreeForm search can find vehicles by make, color, body type, roof rack, sticker, or visible damage.
Do not collapse two systems into one claim
The City record names an Avigilon cloud camera system supplied through Critical Edge. The four mapped roadside pins are labeled Flock by community mapping. No official record we have reviewed so far proves those pins are part of the City purchase. Saying otherwise would be wrong, and it would give officials a reason to dismiss everything else we bring them.
Documented cameras
Four roadside ALPR-style pins recorded by community mappers. Coordinates link straight to the map.
Source: community mapping via DeFlock / OpenStreetMap, as of August 1, 2026. Ownership and operator of these pins is an open question until an official record confirms it. View the live DeFlock map.
What actually changes outcomes
Public records
Contracts, renewal dates, search logs, audits, and data-sharing agreements. Documents end arguments that opinions cannot.
Organized public comment
Ten prepared residents at one meeting outweighs a hundred angry comments online.
Contract and budget scrutiny
Every program has a renewal date and a line item. Both are votes you can show up for.
Audits
Ask who searched, when, and why. Misuse findings have ended programs elsewhere.
Litigation and legislation
State and federal challenges shape what is allowed. Local bans and sunset clauses do the rest.
Votes
Officials renew contracts. Officials stand for election. Connect the two, publicly.
Places where this already worked
- Oxford, Ohio — council voted to terminate its Flock program even after staff recommended keeping it with added safeguards.
- Mountain View, California — an audit of ALPR use was followed by ending the contract.
- Hood County, Texas — terminated its agreement and pursued a refund.
- Dunwoody, Georgia — deferred renewal amid public pressure and unanswered oversight questions.
Running list of ended contracts: cancellation tracker.
A limit we hold to: we may document damage or vandalism incidents when they appear in the public record, but we never provide instructions for damaging, blocking, or disabling equipment, and we ask no one to try. This is a civic campaign.
Organize locally
Add your name and we'll send meeting dates, agendas, records updates, and a short script for public comment.
Records and FOIA
Arkansas FOIA gives residents a right to public records, and agencies generally must respond within three working days. Request contracts, renewal dates, search logs, audit procedures, and data-sharing agreements from Mountain Home Police and the Baxter County Sheriff.
Have I Been Flocked?
Have I Been Flocked helps people understand ALPR exposure and collects reports about where these systems operate. Read it with its limits in mind: it depends on what agencies and third parties disclose, it cannot see every network, and it is not a substitute for a formal records request to the agency that runs the cameras near you.
Visit haveibeenflocked.comFrequently asked questions
- What are Flock cameras in Mountain Home?
- Flock Safety builds automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras that photograph passing vehicles, read plates, and log time, place, and vehicle details in a searchable database. Community mappers using DeFlock and OpenStreetMap have recorded four roadside ALPR-style pins in and around Mountain Home as of August 1, 2026. Ownership of those specific pins has not been confirmed by an official record we have reviewed.
- Are Flock and Avigilon the same thing?
- No. On August 24, 2023 the Mountain Home City Council authorized an ordinance for a $65,000 Avigilon camera purchase for the Police Department through Critical Edge. That is a separate product line from Flock Safety. The four mapped roadside pins are labeled Flock by community mapping. No official record we have reviewed proves those pins are part of the City's Avigilon purchase. Do not collapse the two into one claim.
- What does Arkansas law allow?
- Arkansas sets a general retention cap of roughly 150 days for ALPR data, with exceptions when data is tied to an active investigation. State law does not stop a city from deciding it does not want the cameras at all. Removal is a local political decision.
- Can Flock search for a car without a plate number?
- Yes. Flock's Vehicle Fingerprint / FreeForm style search lets users search by attributes such as make, color, body type, roof racks, bumper stickers, or visible damage. A plate number is not required to find and follow a vehicle.
- How do we actually remove these cameras?
- The proven path is unglamorous: file public records requests, read the contract and the renewal date, show up in numbers at council and quorum court meetings, demand an audit of every search, and press elected officials to vote against renewal. Cities including Oxford (OH), Mountain View (CA), Hood County (TX), and Dunwoody (GA) ended or paused ALPR programs this way.
- How do I speak at a Mountain Home City Council meeting?
- Check the posted agenda ahead of the meeting, arrive early, sign in for public comment if a sheet is provided, and prepare two to three minutes. Say your name, that you live here, one specific ask (do not renew the ALPR contract), and one fact. Leave a printed copy of your comment for the record.
- Is damaging or disabling a camera acceptable?
- No. This site organizes lawful civic action only: records requests, public comment, budget and contract scrutiny, audits, petitions, and votes. We do not provide, endorse, or encourage instructions for damaging, blocking, or disabling equipment.
- Where can I check if my own plate was scanned?
- Have I Been Flocked collects reports and helps people understand ALPR exposure, but it cannot tell you everything: it depends on what agencies disclose, and it does not replace a formal records request to the agency that runs the cameras.