Flock camera

A Flock license plate reader camera supervises the parking lot of Lowe's on East Interstate 65 Service Road in Mobile.

A benign helper for keeping the public safe, or an unblinking eye for spying? The usage of Flock cameras and other surveillance devices has city officials and citizens on both sides of Mobile Bay questioning their merits.

Solar-powered license plate readers made by Georgia-based Flock Safety have been the object of intense scrutiny by concerned citizens around the country for much of this year. The jet black devices most commonly seen perched atop tall posts or mounted to the sides of utility poles are meant to help law enforcement agencies in more than 6,000 communities, according to a Flock fact sheet.

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