She Saw the Flock Story Coming…
Note: This guest essay was written by someone who works for a regulated entity and must therefore be highly circumspect with regard to any public commentary, regardless of topic. They have been closely following the evolution of the mass surveillance situation since early 2025. Why Jessica Burbank’s Flock investigation deserved consideration for an Investigative… Read More The post She Saw the…
In August 2025, Jessica Burbank released an hour-long documentary about Flock Safety, a rapidly growing provider of automated license-plate readers and surveillance technology. Her investigation began with a seemingly mundane municipal contract in Scarsdale, New York. What Burbank uncovered there provided a window into a much larger issue.
NATS describes the Emmy category Outstanding Investigative Documentary as works that expose wrongdoing, corruption, or hidden truths through deep reporting and original access. Burbank's documentary met this standard, as it held powerful institutions accountable and brought new evidence to light. In Scarsdale, the Village Board approved the Flock contract on April 8, 2025, without it appearing on the published agenda.
Using Freedom of Information Law records, Burbank discovered that officials had been communicating with Flock for months before the public presentation.
Burbank's investigation revealed that the incoming police chief was invited to meet with Flock the day after his selection and before formally taking office. This alone is a strong example of accountability journalism. However, Burbank didn't stop there. She sought market research and analysis of competing vendors and found only a sole-source justification signed by Flock's CEO.
After searching government records around the country, Burbank identified communities where Flock contracts had followed similar low-visibility paths.
Flock's distinguishing feature isn't just its cameras; it's the ability to connect searches across jurisdictions. Burbank examined a Texas sheriff's investigation involving a woman who traveled across state lines for an abortion and got Flock to acknowledge the capability of its system. This led to the film's central insight: a national surveillance infrastructure can emerge incrementally, piece by piece, often unnoticed.
Burbank's work was published in August 2025, and within days, Scarsdale's police chief sent a memorandum concerning the Flock contract to the Village Board. The village canceled the contract on August 6. While Burbank doesn't claim her reporting caused the reversal, her work demonstrates the power of investigative journalism in uncovering and exposing significant issues.
Her early identification of the national controversy around Flock and interconnected ALPR networks shows how her work mattered in the broader context of growing scrutiny over privacy, immigration enforcement, and police power.
Written by urgent.news from The Big Picture's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
