During a San Diego City Council committee session, a man attired as the iconic "Star Wars" antagonist Darth Vader made a theatrical appearance, offering a satirical endorsement of Flock police surveillance cameras. He declared to the council members that this technology was precisely "what the emperor needs."
The individual approached the podium at the Public Safety and Livable Neighborhoods Committee meeting on Wednesday, his presence underscored by the distinctive heavy breathing characteristic of Darth Vader, amplified clearly through the chamber's microphone system.
Committee members acknowledged the man as ‘Darth Vader’ as he proceeded to ridicule the Flock-connected surveillance system, implying its potential as a valuable instrument for the dark side.
"This is what the emperor needs. This technology will help us find the rebel scum and the hidden base on Hoth,"
he stated, referencing the icy planet featured in "The Empire Strikes Back."
He further elaborated, asserting that the technology
"will help us find Luke Skywalker as he traverses the universe in his X-Wing. This technology is a necessary, necessary force."
The speaker continued, stating,
"The Emperor is a fan of Flock, and we must continue utilizing Flock technologies so that we can follow and surveil the rebel scum as they move from playground to playground, from playground to pool, from pool to gymnasium, because we all know that the Flock cameras are not only following the license plate readers, they are following children."
He also jokingly remarked that the cameras were needed
"so I can stalk my ex-girlfriend."
Directly addressing City Council member Jennifer Campbell, the individual suggested she needed to enhance her Jedi mind tricks.
He challenged,
"And how will the people trust this City Council when this City Council continues to vote for surveillance technology that imprisons them? Ms. Campbell, you must work on your Jedi mind tricks,"concluding his statement with a wave of his hand towards the assembled audience.
Controversy Surrounds Surveillance Technology
The San Diego Police Department (SDPD) entered into a one-year pilot agreement in December 2025 for Flock Nova, an investigative platform intended to consolidate data from diverse sources. However, the department subsequently clarified that it was not actively using the platform and had no intentions of integrating its existing license plate reader data into it. This clarification was later reiterated to a local news outlet.
Public apprehension regarding surveillance cameras has intensified in communities nationwide, prompting local activists and certain city officials to advocate for alternative solutions.
San Diego Police Department's Use of ALPR
According to the department’s 2025 annual surveillance report, the SDPD currently deploys Flock automated license plate recognition (ALPR) cameras at roughly 500 sites throughout the city. Additionally, the anti-surveillance initiative DeFlock maintains a crowdsourced map that identifies further cameras in the region, though these entries do not constitute an official city inventory.
San Diego police officials assert that this technology is exclusively utilized for legitimate law enforcement functions, such as pinpointing vehicles associated with ongoing investigations. The department emphasizes that its ALPR database is restricted to authorized SDPD personnel, with data retention capped at 30 days. Information is automatically purged unless it is specifically preserved as evidence within an active case.
Flock provides a range of products, including automated license plate readers, video cameras, and audio-detection devices. Their ALPR systems are designed to capture license plate numbers, alongside vehicle attributes like make, model, and color. Certain Flock systems are even capable of identifying more granular distinguishing features, such as bumper stickers or post-market vehicle modifications.
