Former Rhode Island police officer Noel Pichardo says his law enforcement career ended after he began publicly raising concerns about Flock Safety cameras, automatic license plate readers, and what he sees as a quiet expansion of vehicle surveillance in local communities.
In a video posted to his YouTube channel, After The Badge 401, Pichardo said he served seven years with the Pawtucket Police Department before becoming, as he put it, “regrettably an ex-police officer.” He said he decided to speak on camera because he wanted the public to understand a technology he believes was adopted with too little public notice, too little debate, and too few safeguards.
Pichardo described Flock cameras as a sophisticated AI-based surveillance system that records vehicles as they pass by, logging details such as make, model, color, bumper stickers, and other identifying features. In his view, the concern is not only what the cameras can do, but how quietly they were placed into communities…