Sterling, Illinois | June 2026
Deflock-Sterling

80+ communities across the country have canceled or deactivated Flock Safety contracts, driven by data sharing concerns, broken promises, and systems that expanded beyond what was authorized.

Monday night is Sterling's chance to be heard. The City Council is holding a public safety study, and that's worth showing up for. Come to City Hall, ask the hard questions, and tell your council that Flock Safety does not belong in our community.

All information on this page comes from FOIA requests, official government records, and verified journalism. Sources are linked at the bottom.
About this page
A neighbor with questions, not an agenda

I support the Sterling Police Department and the work they do every day in our community. My concern is about process, transparency, the safety of our data, and the protection of our constitutional rights.

These cameras were approved as a budget line item with no standalone council vote, no public hearing, and no opportunity for residents to weigh in. The data they collect is shared with hundreds of agencies across the country, including entities that Flock's own system labels as federal. And as documented below, what was contracted in 2025 has quietly changed into something significantly more powerful.

Every fact on this page comes from FOIA requests I filed myself, official government records, or verified news reporting. If anything here is wrong, I want to know.

JG
Jeff Gale, Sterling Resident

14-year resident of Sterling, Illinois. Parent. I first noticed Flock cameras driving my children to practice and started asking questions. I filed my first-ever FOIA request in February 2026 and have spoken twice at City Council. I am not a lawyer or a tech expert. I am a resident who read the contract.

What is a FOIA request?

The Freedom of Information Act gives any citizen the right to request public records from government agencies, free of charge, no credentials required. The Flock contract, the agency share list, the Chief's memo, and the department policy are all public documents. Any Sterling resident can walk into City Hall and request them. The information on this page belongs to all of us. I just asked for it.

The basics
What is Flock Safety, and what did Sterling purchase?

Flock Safety is an Atlanta-based private company valued at $7.5 billion as of late 2025, that operates the largest automated license plate reader (ALPR) network in the United States. Their system uses AI to build what Flock calls "vehicle fingerprints": the ability to track a specific vehicle by make, model, color, and visual characteristics even when no plate is visible.

In May 2025, Sterling Police Department signed a 2-year contract for 18 cameras at $36,000 per year. The contract specified 16 Falcon LPR cameras and 2 Condor PTZ cameras. A $12,000 Illinois Attorney General grant offset part of Year 1. The contract was approved on April 25, 2025 as a line item in the police department's budget, with no standalone vote and no public hearing.

The two camera types are meaningfully different. Falcon LPR cameras photograph every passing vehicle and log the plate, timestamp, location, and vehicle description. Condor PTZ cameras are live-streaming pan-tilt-zoom units. They are active video cameras with AI-assisted tracking capability and 30 days of edge storage. A Condor is not a plate reader. It is a live surveillance camera.

Total cameras
18
Contracted in May 2025. What is actually deployed has changed.
Annual cost
$36,000
Recurring subscription paid to Flock Safety in Atlanta, GA
Contract signed
May 2025
Approved as budget line item. No standalone council vote.
Data retained
30 days
Edge storage on Condor cameras per contract. What Flock retains on its own servers is governed by Terms of Service.
What the contract says about data, and what it does not say
The contract specifies 30 days of edge storage on the Condor cameras — that applies to raw video footage stored locally on the device. But the plate read data, timestamps, locations, and vehicle descriptions captured by every camera are simultaneously uploaded to Flock's central cloud servers, where they are queried by the more than 1,500 entities in the sharing network. What Flock retains on its own servers, and for how long, is governed by Flock's Terms of Service at flocksafety.com/terms-and-conditions, a document that has never been publicly discussed by council. South Portland, Maine's own audit found it could not independently verify whether outside agencies had accessed its data even with local retention limits in place. Flock's system does not log that level of detail. A proposed Illinois law would require police to delete ALPR data after just 3 days unless tied to an active investigation, reflecting growing legislative concern about retention periods regardless of their stated length.
Mission creep
How many Condors are in Sterling? Nobody has given a straight answer.

Three sources, three different answers, and none of them reconcile. The signed contract specifies 2 Condor PTZ cameras (plus 16 Falcon LPR). A June 2026 Shaw Local article reported 3 Condors. But photographs I took around Sterling in June 2026 document at least 10 Condor PTZ cameras. I don't know which number is correct, and that's exactly the problem.

The Condor is a fundamentally different and more capable piece of equipment than the Falcon. It is a live-streaming camera with AI-assisted zoom and pan-tilt capability. It has 30 days of edge-stored video. It is the camera involved in Flock's documented cybersecurity breach. Adding Condors beyond what was contracted represents a significant expansion of the surveillance capability this city is deploying on Sterling residents.

We do not know when this happened, how it happened, what it cost, or whether the council approved it. These are not rhetorical questions. They are specific requests for public accountability.

Condor cameras were at the center of Flock's security breach
In December 2025, security researchers discovered that at least 60 Flock Condor cameras were streaming live video to the open internet with no password required, discoverable by anyone using a public search tool. Security researchers found they could view live feeds, browse 30 days of archived footage, and in some cases access administrative controls. Flock called it a "limited configuration issue." One researcher described cameras pointed at playgrounds, bike paths, and public trails. Sterling has a number of these same Condor units deployed, possibly as many as 10. Whether any were affected by this vulnerability has not been disclosed publicly.
Questions for Monday
When did the camera configuration change from what was contracted? Was the council informed of or asked to approve this change? What is the current status of each of the 18 cameras: model type, installation date, and any upgrades applied? What is the selection rationale for each camera type at each location? Does a Condor carry a higher annual fee than a Falcon, and if so, what does that additional cost look like? Were any Sterling Condors among those affected by Flock's December 2025 security breach, and have they been independently audited?
Governance & process
How was this approved, and what was never voted on?

The $36,000 annual Flock contract was embedded in the Sterling Police Department's budget and approved as part of the larger city budget on April 25, 2025. There was no separate public hearing, no standalone council vote, and no public notice that a surveillance system of this nature was being considered.

This is a documented pattern. In Verona, Wisconsin, which recently canceled, officials noted that residents were unaware of the cameras until just before auto-renewal, because the system was purchased through the police department's regular technology budget. In Cambridge, Massachusetts, the city council paused the cameras over privacy concerns. Flock then installed two additional cameras without the city's knowledge or authorization. The city terminated the contract, calling it a "material breach of our trust." In Evanston, Illinois, Flock reinstalled cameras without permission after the city ordered them removed, prompting the city to physically cover them with plastic sheeting.

The Sterling contract auto-renews unless Sterling gives Flock 30 days written notice before the end of the term. Residents deserve to know when that deadline falls, and whether there will be a standalone public vote before any renewal.

Data sharing
Who can see Sterling's camera data? More than 1,500 entities.

Through a FOIA request, I obtained Sterling PD's Flock share list, a document showing every agency that has data-sharing access with Sterling's cameras. The list contains more than 1,500 entities across more than 30 states: police departments, county sheriffs, drug task forces, state police, and fusion centers, which are joint federal-local intelligence operations through which federal agencies have historically obtained local data indirectly.

Three federal agencies are explicitly listed with access to Sterling's data: Indiana Dunes National Park IN PD, Wright Patterson OH Air Force Base, and US Postal Inspection Service. However, in his January 14, 2026 memo to Mayor Merdian, Chief Bartel stated the city has "denied all federal sharing requests." That deserves clarification: either the federal agencies shown in Flock's database are outdated records, or federal agencies currently retain access.

Three agencies on the list are labeled [Federal] by Flock's own system:

Agencies labeled "[Federal]" in Sterling's Flock share list, per Flock's own categorization:
Indiana Dunes National Park IN PD Wright Patterson OH Air Force Base US Postal Inspection Service
Chief Bartel's January 2026 memo states he has "denied any request from any federal agency for sharing of data." These three entities may be in the network through Flock's own system rather than a direct request to the Chief. In Mountain View, California, an Air Force Base was among agencies found to have accessed that city's data without authorization. We are asking whether Sterling's federal access has been independently verified as disabled.
Illinois law requires written declarations. Has Sterling complied?
Illinois law (625 ILCS 5/2-130) requires that before sharing ALPR data with any out-of-state agency, Sterling PD must obtain a written declaration from that agency affirming the data will not be used for immigration enforcement or reproductive health care investigations. With more than 1,500 entities on the list, compliance requires more than 1,500 written declarations. We are asking whether those have been obtained for every agency.
This Illinois law has already been violated
In June 2025, Texas law enforcement searched 83,000 Flock cameras nationwide, including cameras in Mount Prospect, Illinois, to locate a woman for an abortion-related matter. The Illinois Secretary of State found Mount Prospect had 262 immigration-related LPR searches in just the first few months of 2025. Secretary Giannoulias audited 12 Illinois agencies and called on all Illinois departments to review compliance. Sterling was not among the 12 agencies audited.
Your constitutional rights
First and Fourth Amendment concerns raised by federal courts and legal experts

These concerns have been raised in active federal litigation and by respected civil liberties organizations. Courts are divided. This is an honest summary of where the law stands.

4th
Protection from unreasonable searches
The Supreme Court's Carpenter v. United States (2018) held that long-term tracking of a person's movements requires a warrant. Courts have not yet resolved whether mass ALPR networks trigger the same protection. What is clear: under Sterling's current policy, a case number is all that is needed to search the database. No warrant required.
1st
Freedom of speech, assembly & religion
When residents know their movements are logged and shared with more than 1,500 entities, they may avoid driving to political meetings, houses of worship, medical appointments, or legal consultations. This "chilling effect," the suppression of lawful behavior due to surveillance fear, is a recognized First Amendment concern. Sterling's cameras log every vehicle. There is no opt-out. A resident driving to a protest, a clinic, a union meeting, or a church is recorded the same as anyone else. That record is then searchable by agencies in 30+ states.
Where this technology is heading
From plate readers to phone trackers: the expanding surveillance ecosystem

Flock Safety markets itself as a license plate reader company. But the technology ecosystem around it is expanding rapidly, and Sterling residents should understand what this infrastructure may enable in the near future.

SignalTrace (phones, AirPods, and smartwatches): A company called Leonardo, through its ALPR subsidiary ELSAG and acting as a direct competitor to Flock Safety, is developing a product called SignalTrace that would add Bluetooth sensors to existing ALPR camera hardware. SignalTrace "links devices that regularly travel together, correlating them to license plate." This means it would sweep up the unique identifier of every phone, AirPod, smartwatch, or other Bluetooth device in a passing car, and permanently link those device IDs to a specific license plate. This means even if you switch cars, your phone follows you. Reported by 404 Media on June 8, 2026.

BusPatrol (school buses as surveillance platforms): A company called BusPatrol has installed cameras on tens of thousands of school buses across the country and, according to reporting by 404 Media and Reason magazine, has discussed providing collected license plate data to Flock Safety. The rollout would turn every school bus in a district into a roving ALPR platform. Flock told 404 Media it does not currently work with BusPatrol. But BusPatrol's own internal documents, reviewed by 404 Media, show the integration was discussed. Flock also had an announced partnership with Amazon Ring that was only canceled in February 2026 after public pressure. By that point, the infrastructure to link home cameras and street cameras had already been built.

The FBI: In May 2026, 404 Media reported that the FBI is seeking to purchase nationwide access to license plate reader networks. The two vendors most likely to fulfill that contract are Flock Safety and Motorola.

None of these are speculative. They are all documented in published journalism from the past 30 days. The cameras Sterling has installed today are the infrastructure these future capabilities would plug into.

Flock Nova: Flock's Nova platform goes beyond plate reading. It integrates license plate data with jail records, 911 call logs, police records, and public databases into a single searchable system. According to Flock's product description, one search shows an officer "RMS, CAD, LPR, jail records, public records, and approved open sources." This means: a license plate read connects instantly to your arrest history, your jail record, your 911 call locations, your property records, and whatever else Flock considers "approved." Sterling residents deserve to know: Does Sterling PD use or plan to use Nova? What "approved open sources" does it include? Which other agencies can access Sterling residents' integrated data? Flock Nova product page.

Q2 2025 Product Expansion (June 2025): Flock announced free upgrades that transform its LPR cameras into video cameras, new AI-powered searches that can identify people by clothing description ("man in blue hoodie"), and integration with third-party video feeds. The company's blog states: "FreeForm uses the power of AI, so you can search like people talk" -- meaning officers can now search for people based on physical appearance across video systems. Flock's Q2 2025 product launch summary details these capabilities.

Important framing
These are third-party and future developments, not current Flock features deployed in Sterling. They are included here because they are directly relevant to a council decision about renewing or expanding a surveillance contract. What you authorize today may connect to capabilities that did not exist when the contract was signed.
Documented misuse
At least 18 officers arrested or fired for using Flock to stalk people

This section is not a reflection on the Sterling Police Department, which I respect. It documents a structural problem: when a powerful tracking tool requires no warrant to use, misuse is not theoretical. It is documented across departments in multiple states.

An April 2026 study by the Institute for Justice found that at least 18 law enforcement officers have been arrested, fired, or investigated for using Flock to stalk romantic partners.

Florida
Officer Jarmarus Brown ran his ex-girlfriend's plate 69+ times and her parents' plates 39+ times over months. Arrested 2025.
California
Deputy Alexander Vanny, who had already been arrested for kidnapping his ex-fiancée, used Flock to track her friend. Convicted by jury, December 2025.
Tennessee
Deputy Thadius Gordon tracked his ex-wife more than 100 times. Relieved of duty.
Kentucky
Officer Roberto Cedeno charged with multiple felonies for tracking an ex-partner hundreds of times over two months.
Wisconsin
Officer Josue Ayala (Milwaukee) tracked a woman and her ex-partner 179 times. Resigned and charged. Officer Cristian Morales (Menasha) placed on leave after similar allegations.
Georgia
Police Chief Michael Steffman arrested for stalking multiple people using license plate readers. Resigned before arrest.
Kansas
Detective Kyle Rector (Bonner Springs) tracked estranged wife and two men. Charged March 2026. Former Chief Lee Nygaard (Sedgwick) tracked ex-girlfriend 164 times over four months.

The Institute for Justice attorney identified the structural cause: "The fundamental problem with these systems is that they place private information about people's movements in the hands of every officer. Without the constitutional safeguard of a warrant requirement, that predictably allows officers to abuse their access."

Have you been searched? HaveIBeenFlocked.com

A public database at HaveIBeenFlocked.com lets anyone enter their license plate to see if it has been queried in the Flock system, based on public records requests. Flock Safety has reportedly attempted to have the site shut down.

Sterling's cameras
What I found on our streets, and what is still unaccounted for

The photos below were taken by me in June 2026. I located and photographed 10 Condor PTZ cameras and 2 Falcon LPR cameras. The contract authorized only 2 Condors; a June 2026 Shaw Local article said 3. I count at least 10. I am asking the council to publicly disclose the type, address, and facing direction of every camera so residents can see the real number for themselves.

The Condor PTZ has a single round lens on a pan-tilt gimbal. It is a live-streaming video camera. The Falcon LPR has multiple infrared illuminators in a taller, slimmer housing. It reads plates only. The difference matters: the contract called for 2 Condors, a newspaper reported 3, and photographs show at least 10.

Condor PTZ camera on Wallace Street
Wallace St: Condor PTZ facing Northwestern Steel & Wire Park Condor
Condor camera on City of Sterling banner pole, 1st Ave bridge
1st Ave Bridge: Condor mounted on a "City of Sterling" banner pole Condor
Condor camera on Freeport Road in rural setting
Freeport Rd: Condor in rural setting. Location may be outside Sterling city limits (unverified). Condor
Condor PTZ camera near Menards on E 30th St
E 30th St by Menards: Condor facing down Polo Rd Condor
Falcon LPR camera on Ave G bridge
Ave G Bridge: Falcon LPR. Note the narrower, taller profile compared to the round Condor lens. Falcon LPR

Additional confirmed Condor locations: Lefevre roundabout, roundabout by Halo, west end Casey's, Locust & Lynn across from Kroger, Sauk Valley Bank on Ave B.

View all camera photos in Google Photos: every Condor and Falcon location I've documented, available for any Sterling resident to see.

Every camera documented in the photos above is also logged on deflock.org, the national crowdsourced ALPR camera map. You can view Sterling's entries, verify locations, or add cameras you find yourself.

National context
More than 80 communities have canceled or deactivated Flock contracts

Illinois and Wisconsin are particularly relevant since Sterling shares camera data with agencies in both states. South Portland, Maine voted to terminate immediately on June 11, 2026. A councilor put it plainly: "It's a data retention problem. This is not a camera company, this is a data company."

In Denver, the City Council President said: "I had an apology email from the CEO of Flock because he lied to my face." Flock's CEO had told council members the company had no federal contracts, which public records disproved. In Verona, Wisconsin, Flock ignored demands to remove cameras for months after the contract was canceled. The city covered them in black plastic bags.

Illinois IL
Evanston
Terminated Aug 2025. Flock reinstalled without permission; city used plastic sheeting.
Illinois IL
Oak Park
Voted 5-2, Aug 2025
Wisconsin WI
Dane County
Board 32-1, Apr 2026
Wisconsin WI
Verona
Canceled; Flock refused removal for months. Black bags used.
Wisconsin WI
Fitchburg
Unanimous vote, May 2026
Wisconsin WI
Monona
Canceled 2026
Wisconsin WI
Appleton
Canceled 2026
Wisconsin WI
Oshkosh
Chief ended contract and covered cameras
Wisconsin WI
Grand Chute
Unanimous, Jun 2026 NEW
Wisconsin WI
Sturgeon Bay
Canceled 2026
Maine
South Portland
Terminated immediately Jun 11, 2026 NEW
Colorado
Denver
110 cameras removed Mar 2026. CEO had told council no federal contracts.
Oregon
Albany
Terminated: privacy and constitutional concerns
California
Santa Clara Co.
Flock banned entirely
California
Mountain View
250+ unapproved agencies found; terminated unanimously
Minnesota NEW
Columbia Heights
Unanimously voted Jun 8, 2026. 12 cameras removed. Concerns: data sharing, Operation Metro Surge.
Ohio NEW
Dayton
Jun 3, 2026. Audit found 7,000+ ICE searches by outside entities. 72 cameras covered with black trash bags.
Virginia
Staunton
Terminated Jan 2026
Texas
Bandera
Residents demanded accountability; council voted to end
Massachusetts
Cambridge
Flock installed 2 cameras without authorization. "Material breach of trust."
Iowa
Coralville
Signed without full council disclosure
Monday, June 15 at 6:30 PM
Questions being raised at the safety study

These questions are grounded in public documents. They are not accusations. They are what informed civic oversight looks like.

Take action
What you can do before Monday

The most important thing you can do right now is show up Monday night. But there is more.

1
Come to the meeting Monday
June 15, 2026 · 6:30 PM · Sterling City Hall, 212 3rd Ave. You do not have to speak. Showing up matters just as much. It tells elected officials this issue is important to residents. If you do want to speak, public comment is 5 minutes. State your name, that you are a Sterling resident, and ask one question from this page.
2
Contact your alderman before Monday
Sterling City Council members represent specific wards. Find your alderman at il-sterling.civicplus.com/Mayor-Council and send a brief email or call before Monday's meeting. Simply say you're a constituent, you've been following the Flock camera issue, and you expect answers to the documented questions on this page.
3
File your own FOIA request
You can request the same public documents I received: the contract, the share list, the Chief's memo, and the department policy, directly from the City of Sterling Records Clerk. It costs nothing. You don't need a reason. The more residents who have these documents, the stronger the public record.
4
Check if you've been searched
Visit HaveIBeenFlocked.com and enter your license plate number to see if it has been queried in the Flock network. Based on public records requests. Flock has reportedly tried to shut this resource down.
5
Map the cameras in Sterling
Visit deflock.org, a crowdsourced public map of ALPR cameras across the country. You can add Sterling's camera locations so residents elsewhere can see what's here. Flock Safety's CEO called DeFlock "terroristic." The EFF rejected Flock's cease-and-desist letter on First Amendment grounds. The map is still up.
6
Share this page
The more Sterling residents who walk into Monday's meeting informed, the stronger the public record. Share this page on Facebook, text it to neighbors, print it out. Every informed voice in that room matters.
Sources & documents
Everything here can be independently verified

Nothing on this page is anonymous, secondhand, or unverified. FOIA documents are available to any Sterling resident who requests them from City Hall.

Come to the meeting Monday night
The Sterling City Council is holding a safety study on Flock cameras. This is your opportunity to hear answers and to be heard.
Monday, June 15, 2026 at 6:30 PM Sterling City Hall
212 3rd Avenue, Sterling, IL 61081

You do not need to speak to make a difference. Simply showing up sends a message that this issue matters to Sterling residents.

If you want to speak: public comment is typically 5 minutes. State your name, that you are a Sterling resident, and ask one specific question. You do not need to have all the answers. That is what the safety study is for.

deflock.org: Find cameras near you HaveIBeenFlocked.com: Check your plate
Share this page with your neighbors before Monday.