On an early autumn afternoon in 2023, Rhode Island police officer Noel Pichardo noticed something peculiar—a compact, solar-powered camera perched on a utility pole over West Avenue. As he drove past it again and again, his curiosity grew, leading him to uncover a sprawling vehicle-surveillance system that had been quietly installed across the city.

The cameras, part of Flock Safety’s network, were designed to identify vehicles by license plate and other distinguishing features. But as Pichardo delved deeper into their history, he found himself questioning how the decision to install them was made without his knowledge or input.

Pawtucket joined a national trend where departments could share records across jurisdictions, making privacy concerns a contentious issue. Despite initial criticism, the city moved forward with a two-year deployment worth $128,000, installing 20 cameras along some of its busiest roads. This decision reignited Pichardo’s questions and eventually led him to become the unlikely centre of a backlash against Flock.

For the cop who had always kept his opinions to himself, this became a moment of reckoning. His investigation into how the system was approved prompted a chain of events that ended his career in law enforcement but also highlighted the broader implications of pervasive surveillance in modern society.