Safety or Surveillance?: Flock Cameras Spotted at Kean University’s Union Campus

By: Susan Berube-Leiva and Kevin Modeszto | Publish Date: November 6, 2026

In recent months, students and faculty at Kean Union have increasingly protested the presence of Flock cameras on campus; leading to concerns regarding surveillance, misuse, and privacy. Of the eleven cameras Tower reporters found, six are located on East Campus, one at the main entrance on main campus, one by the Green Lane Academic Building, one by the baseball field, and two by Harwood Arena. 

Flock Safety is a private American public safety and surveillance company widely known for manufacturing automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) amongst other technological equipment. ALPRs scan license plates and vehicle descriptions to upload in a searchable database that is shared amongst various police agencies nationwide. 

Within the past decade, Flock Safety has installed and operates over 120,000 cameras nationwide, with approximately 2,275 currently operating in New Jersey. While the intention of ALPRs is to increase public safety, there has been an increase in opposition nationwide with concerns such as the right to privacy, mistaken identity, and misuse by police officers. 

Due to this, the Flock cameras are unpopular within Kean’s student community. Through an Instagram post, The Tower has qualitatively collected student concerns regarding the presence of Flock cameras on campus. Of the students who responded, all had negative opinions on the cameras. 

“I’ve read multiple stories that they [Flock cameras] have been tracking each person’s whereabouts and have wrongfully accused them of doing certain crimes (depending on the state). Especially since Flock uses A.I. which doesn’t always provide accurate information. Not only do I think this is an invasion of privacy, but unjust as well,” one student shares, suggesting that students shouldn’t have to fear being wrongfully surveilled when attending classes, and Kean should instead invest more into campus police.  

Others share the same perspective, with some completely opposing the installation of Flock cameras and wanting to “get rid” of them, and others stating that they understand the need for cameras on campus but cannot trust Flock cameras until proper safeguards are in place due to their use of A.I.  

During a recent tour of Kean’s campus to identify all Flock cameras, Tower reporters found a camera on East Campus lying on its side, visibly disconnected from its ground sleeve, potentially vandalized. It has since been removed from East Campus in recent days. Additionally, several Kean students witnessed the installation of cameras all across campus. 

Students are not the only population that has noticed the recent installations; faculty members have also shared their concerns.  

“Kean Federation of Teachers (KFT) members have raised this issue with the KFT leadership and expressed their concerns,” the faculty union president James Castigilone said. “We are in the process of investigating to find out the details of this initiative by the University, and are reaching out to our statewide union, the College Council, to see what contractual matters may be involved.” 

When asked about the cameras, University Relations’ Associate Vice President of Student Relations Nicole Francisco denied the installation of new Flock cameras.  

“The cameras are not new installations and have long been part of the University’s approach to maintaining a safe campus environment and addressing potential public safety concerns,” Francisco said. “The safety and well-being of students, faculty, staff and visitors is a top priority.” 

An additional reason that Flock cameras are unpopular nationwide is the camera’s use by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement. While the company has claimed to have zero contact with ICE, it has been reported that their camera’s license plate tracking has been accessed by the organization. 

Many of ICE’s targets have been a part of the Hispanic and/or Latino community. As a Hispanic Serving Institution, one third of Kean’s student body identifies as Hispanic and/or Latino as of Fall 2025. 

To view Flock locations in your neighborhood, download FlockHopper to your mobile phone (Available on both Apple’s App Store and Andriod’s Google Play). Alternatively, deflock.org can be visited via computer.