A man costumed as “Star Wars” villain Darth Vader made an unusual appearance at a San Diego City Council meeting, using satire to speak in favor of Flock police surveillance cameras and telling officials, “this is what the emperor needs.”
The speaker stepped up to the podium during Wednesday’s Public Safety and Livable Neighborhoods Committee meeting, with Darth Vader’s signature labored breathing echoing through the council chamber microphone.
Committee members played along, addressing him as “Darth Vader,” as he appeared to lampoon the Flock-linked surveillance system by framing it as a tool worthy of the dark side.
“This is what the emperor needs. This technology will help us find the rebel scum and the hidden base on Hoth,” the man said, invoking the icy planet featured in “The Empire Strikes Back.”
A man dressed as the “Star Wars” villain Darth Vader appeared at a San Diego City Council meeting to satirically defend Flock police surveillance cameras. (The City of San Diego)
He continued the bit by saying 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 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 said.
He also added that he needed the cameras “so I can stalk my ex-girlfriend.”
The council even addressed the man as “Darth Vader.” (The City of San Diego)
Addressing City Council member Jennifer Campbell, the man said she needs to work on her Jedi mind tricks.
“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,” he said before waving his hand to the audience.
In December 2025, the San Diego Police Department signed a one-year pilot agreement for Flock Nova, a separate investigative platform designed to integrate data from various sources. The department later said it was not using the platform and did not plan to integrate its license plate reader data into it. SDPD later told Axios it was not using the platform and did not plan to integrate its license plate reader data into it.
SDPD uses Flock cameras at approximately 500 locations citywide, according to the department. (Getty Images)
Local activists and some city officials have called for alternatives as public criticism of the cameras continues to mount in communities across the country, Axios reported.
SDPD uses Flock automated license plate recognition cameras at approximately 500 locations citywide, according to the department’s 2025 annual surveillance report. A crowdsourced map maintained by the anti-surveillance project DeFlock lists additional cameras in the area, though its entries are not an official city inventory.
San Diego police say the technology is used for official law enforcement purposes, including locating vehicles connected to investigations. The department says its ALPR database can only be accessed by authorized SDPD personnel and that data is retained for up to 30 days and automatically deleted unless it is preserved as evidence in an active investigation.
Flock offers automated license plate readers, video cameras and audio-detection products. Its license plate readers capture plate numbers along with vehicle characteristics such as make, model and color, and some Flock systems can identify distinguishing features such as bumper stickers or aftermarket modifications.
