> “I work with Flock Safety. And I called originally because I’m getting followed,” the installer can be heard telling a dispatcher in the recording of the call obtained by Atlanta News First Investigates. “I was getting harassed, pretty much. Taking videos and pictures. And now, the same vehicle that pulled over where I was working at has been following me.”
> “Why can’t the person opt out? It’s because if your car gets stolen, if something were to happen, moreover, the government requires you to have a license plate. It’s the law. And it’s plain view information,” [Flock Safety’s Chief Communications Officer Josh ] Thomas said. “Your license plate is part of the plain view. And so why can’t you opt out. You can, if you want to opt out of society.”
Unless you're part of the Karen HOAs that buy them - then you can be part of the community SafeList!
I despise Flock. Have had plenty to say. But I suspect -this- was the reason, moreso than the filming the installation:
> As Keefe began to shoot video, the installer saw him and immediately packed up his equipment and drove away, so Keefe also returned to his car and followed several cars behind, hoping to document the next stop.
Not to say the installer wouldn't have anyway, but it's not inherently unreasonable to call 911 when someone is obviously following you.
So you have to look up the non-emergency number while someone may or may not be getting in position to do you physical harm. Even if we hate Flock as a company, that individual very much knows we hate Flock, and has reason to fear for his safety.
Edit: and then the cops just talked to the guy doing the following and didn't arrest him or anything. The 911 call is almost a non-story. It's not even a microcosm of the actual problem with Flock and, let's not forget, its copycats.
I had no idea 311 existed. If I'm honest, I had no idea there was any three digit shortcut aside from 911. Although now that I think of it, I may have seen signs near buried utilities saying to call 811 before digging. Interesting.
311 does not reach law enforcement. 311 is the number to complain about code violations or request routine maintenance from the municipal government. The types of requests that go through City Hall during office hours.
They can give the location of the nearest police or fire station, for some non-emergancy law enforcement issues they will put you through to the county sheriff. Had a friend call over a property dispute with their roommate and they got and sent a sheriff over (within a city that had its own municipal police force)
The one thing you can do is call 911 and when they respond, just say "I need the non-emergency line" and they'll usually transfer you immediately or just check quickly with you. Just don't waffle on.
In my state, doing this is a class A misdemeanor with a maximum sentence of a year in jail and a fine of about $6,000.
They probably wouldn't (but certainly could) charge you with it if you just do it once or without warning you, but still, it's an obvious abuse of the 911 system.
I was a paramedic/firefighter for 14 years. I think while there's merit in calling out people jumping at shadows, I do get how this situation, stupidly, escalated.
And there's a bit more to EMS than "imminent life threats only".
Property damage is often explicitly listed by municipalities as a reason to call 911. They might not care in New York or San Francisco, but in most small towns they usually try to catch vandals in the act.
FTA:
> “I work with Flock Safety. And I called originally because I’m getting followed,” the installer can be heard telling a dispatcher in the recording of the call obtained by Atlanta News First Investigates. “I was getting harassed, pretty much. Taking videos and pictures. And now, the same vehicle that pulled over where I was working at has been following me.”
…the irony
I like to ask people who are pro blanket surveillance if they’d be ok with the police putting an Air Tag in their car
So they can film you but you can't film them?
Double standard much?
Yep they hate having a camera in their face, how ironic
> “Why can’t the person opt out? It’s because if your car gets stolen, if something were to happen, moreover, the government requires you to have a license plate. It’s the law. And it’s plain view information,” [Flock Safety’s Chief Communications Officer Josh ] Thomas said. “Your license plate is part of the plain view. And so why can’t you opt out. You can, if you want to opt out of society.”
Unless you're part of the Karen HOAs that buy them - then you can be part of the community SafeList!
https://www.flocksafety.com/blog/how-the-safe-list-solves-pr...
I despise Flock. Have had plenty to say. But I suspect -this- was the reason, moreso than the filming the installation:
> As Keefe began to shoot video, the installer saw him and immediately packed up his equipment and drove away, so Keefe also returned to his car and followed several cars behind, hoping to document the next stop.
Not to say the installer wouldn't have anyway, but it's not inherently unreasonable to call 911 when someone is obviously following you.
> call 911
It is unreasonable, because 911 is for emergencies where life or property is imminently threatened.
If you believe someone is watching and following you, then you can call the non-emergency number. Or your mom.
So you have to look up the non-emergency number while someone may or may not be getting in position to do you physical harm. Even if we hate Flock as a company, that individual very much knows we hate Flock, and has reason to fear for his safety.
Edit: and then the cops just talked to the guy doing the following and didn't arrest him or anything. The 911 call is almost a non-story. It's not even a microcosm of the actual problem with Flock and, let's not forget, its copycats.
> If you believe someone is watching and following you, then you can call the non-emergency number.
They can also drive to a police/fire station
This is actually something I've wondered about. What is the non-emergency number?
It’s just a regular phone number, so it depends what department you are trying to call. Google or a phone book is what you need.
It's usually on the web page of the local police or sheriff department.
You might have to google it because it's not standardized across the country
https://www.google.com/search?q=police+non+emergency+number+...
In the USA its 311
https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/nationally-assigned-3-d...
I had no idea 311 existed. If I'm honest, I had no idea there was any three digit shortcut aside from 911. Although now that I think of it, I may have seen signs near buried utilities saying to call 811 before digging. Interesting.
311 does not reach law enforcement. 311 is the number to complain about code violations or request routine maintenance from the municipal government. The types of requests that go through City Hall during office hours.
They can give the location of the nearest police or fire station, for some non-emergancy law enforcement issues they will put you through to the county sheriff. Had a friend call over a property dispute with their roommate and they got and sent a sheriff over (within a city that had its own municipal police force)
The one thing you can do is call 911 and when they respond, just say "I need the non-emergency line" and they'll usually transfer you immediately or just check quickly with you. Just don't waffle on.
In my state, doing this is a class A misdemeanor with a maximum sentence of a year in jail and a fine of about $6,000.
They probably wouldn't (but certainly could) charge you with it if you just do it once or without warning you, but still, it's an obvious abuse of the 911 system.
Please don’t tie up emergency dispatchers by using them like a receptionist.
You can just google the number.
I was a paramedic/firefighter for 14 years. I think while there's merit in calling out people jumping at shadows, I do get how this situation, stupidly, escalated.
And there's a bit more to EMS than "imminent life threats only".
Property damage is often explicitly listed by municipalities as a reason to call 911. They might not care in New York or San Francisco, but in most small towns they usually try to catch vandals in the act.