50501 FRIDAY RECAP | AUGUST 14, 2026
ICE moved toward shock gloves, Flock faced growing backlash, and court records exposed federal surveillance of anti-ICE organizers.
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Monday
Columbus spent hours confronting its Flock camera problem
Council members questioned Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant and other public safety officials and residents about privacy, data sharing, and if the city should keep using the technology at all.
The audit found searches from the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Border Patrol, other federal agencies, and law enforcement departments that participate in ICE’s 287g program. Under that program, ICE gives participating state and local officers more federal immigration enforcement powers.
Flock allows thousands of law enforcement agencies to search and share license plate data across jurisdictions and a camera that your local police department bought to investigate stolen cars can become part of a larger system that other departments search from somewhere else.
After the audit, Mayor Andrew Ginther ordered Columbus police to stop statewide sharing of the city’s Flock data. Police already restricted broader nationwide sharing.
Earlier this month, we looked at communities across the country cutting ties with Flock and challenging license plate surveillance.
Would you feel comfortable knowing Flock cameras are tracking you?
Tuesday
Trump left reporters on the decoy plane
This happened July 8, but we learned the details this week. Trump was preparing to leave the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, when the Secret Service received information about a possible missile attack. A source briefed on the situation told Reuters that the Secret Service considered the threat credible and imminent.
Security officials didn’t have much time to respond.
Trump quickly boarded Air Force One while officials secretly moved him and a small group of aides through an airport catering truck and transferred them to a small C 32A government aircraft. So, Air Force One left Turkey separately.
Most of the people on the plane didn’t know Trump left them.
Reuters reporters who were aboard said officials ordered the press to close their window shades during the flight. They knew the request was unusual, and didn’t know they were traveling on what effectively was, a decoy plane.
When reporters later asked Trump why they were told to close the shades, he joked:
“But if I go, you go. Right?” Except Trump didn’t go with them.
Trump wanted the Justice Department to take another look at the Reflecting Pool
Trump’s White House asked the Justice Department to examine if prosecutors could bring new charges connected to alleged vandalism at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
The Justice Department already prosecuted former Olympic canoeist David Hearn over damage to the pool liner. However, prosecutors dropped Hearn’s case after reviewing that evidence.
The Justice Department concluded that rushed and flawed renovation work caused problems with the liner, not vandalism.
Trump repeatedly blamed vandals for the damage and even after new evidence emerged, he criticized the decision to drop the case and urged U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro to reconsider it.
Wednesday
We learned that progressives scored a big win in Minnesota primaries
Peggy Flanagan defeated Rep. Angie Craig for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate. Official Minnesota results show Flanagan won 59.01 percent of the vote to Craig’s 39.39 percent. AP called it another major victory for the party’s progressive wing. Flanagan ran with support from Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, called for dismantling ICE, rejected corporate PAC money, and said she would reject money from AIPAC.
DSA’s marquee candidate Francesca Hong came within a few thousand votes of becoming the Democratic nominee for governor, but Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley narrowly defeated her. Her platform included abolishing ICE, taxing billionaires, and temporarily stopping new data centers. Trump took a big loss here: Minnesota Republicans rejected his endorsed candidate Mike Lindell for governor and nominated state House Speaker Lisa Demuth instead.
ICE plans on spending up to 20 million dollars on shock gloves
We shared a full article going over this on Wednesday that you can read by clicking here.
The name stands for ‘Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter.’
DHS estimates the contract at $10 million to $20 million and that ICE intends to issue the device to officers and agents in Homeland Security Investigations and Enforcement and Removal Operations.
The manual guide says the shock gloves shouldn’t be used against vulnerable groups, including children, pregnant people, the elderly, and those with severe disabilities and it also warns against using the device just because someone is verbally defiant or as punishment.
A pending lawsuit alleges that a 43 year old died when officers at a Kentucky jail shocked him 27 times with shock-gloves and another 13 times with a Taser in 2024.
That 2024 investigation found two shock-glove activations that lasted 45 seconds and 99 seconds while the manufacturer recommends a maximum activation of 15 seconds.
Thursday
After many months of backlash, Flock is making adjustments
Flock made new changes to their rules governing its license plate readers. Flock says it will reduce its standard retention period from 30 days down to 7 days.
Flock will start requiring law enforcement to use an auditing feature designed to identify abnormal searches and officers will additionally have to connect searches to codes from their records management systems, tying the search to a specific case.
Flock will now give cities and police departments more control over the types of investigations outside-agencies can conduct using the data, so a city can block outside searches tied to immigration enforcement.
Friday
Operation Puppet Master
Federal officials are calling it Operation Puppet Master.
The documents became public through a criminal case involving 15 people. The Justice Department charged 15 defendants in June with crimes that include conspiracy to impede federal officers, assault, threats, stalking, and destruction of government property.
These are allegations and the defendants haven’t been convicted.
Department of Homeland Security officers entered meetings in churches, schools, and parks while working undercover. Agents also monitored activist chat groups and used plate numbers to identify people who attended gatherings.
One Homeland Security page titled “The Conspiracy” listed 18 organizations, ranging from a Minneapolis bicycle repair collective to the AFL-CIO.
At a January 31 meeting in Minneapolis, an undercover Homeland Security officer listened as Sunrise Movement supporters discussed sit-ins, de-escalation, safety-marshals, and even having a police liaison at events.
The officer’s report said the group focused on peaceful protests.
Some Good News!
Look at what happened in Columbus this week
Residents and city officials spent six hours questioning police and a Flock representative about privacy, immigration enforcement, and who should have access to the city’s license plate data. Public comments favored removing the cameras and city Council member Emmanuel Remy said “everything is on the table” as Columbus decides if it will renew its Flock contract in December.
More than 50 agencies or jurisdictions have now canceled, suspended, rejected, or deactivated Flock systems since the beginning of 2026, according to a tracker cited by the AP. Republican lawmakers have introduced legislation to restrict FLOCK, while civil liberties groups and communities across the country have raised alarms about immigration enforcement, warrantless tracking, and police using the system for personal searches.
Flock responded on Thursday with some major policy changes. The company is going to cut its standard data retention period from 30 days to 7 days. Police will have to connect searches to specific case-codes and Flock will also require an auditing system designed to detect unusual searches and temporarily lock users out while departments investigate them. Cities will also gain more control over the types of investigations outside agencies can conduct with their data, including the ability to restrict searches related to immigration enforcement.
A year ago, most people never even heard of Flock and now city councils are holding hours long hearings about the cameras. Lawmakers from both parties are questioning it and communities are uniting to canceling contracts.
If your community uses these FLOCK cameras, you have the power to raise your voice. Your city decides to buy them or not and if they plan to renew their contracts. Visit out Linktree for Anti-FLOCK action!
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Q & A
Has ICE already bought the electric shock gloves?
No contract award appears in the public procurement record. DHS lists the shock gloves as a new ICE requirement with an estimated value of $10 million - $20 million and an anticipated award later in fiscal year 2026. Click here to read our latest post on the shock gloves.
Did ICE search Columbus Flock cameras 15,577 times?
A Columbus audit showed that up to 15,577 searches could have been related to immigration enforcement, however, it was never proven that searches were from ICE.
Did Flock ban immigration enforcement searches?
No it didn’t. Flock lets customers restrict which offense categories outside agencies can use when searching data. A local agency can use that feature to block outside immigration related searches.
Did Trump ride in a catering truck this week?
No, the Washington Post revealed the operation this week, Reuters confirmed additional details.
Did Minnesota records prove that groups under surveillance committed crimes?
No. Prosecutors charged 15 people with crimes related to interference with immigration enforcement. The released records show us that federal surveillance extended to a broader group of organizations and meetings, including gatherings where people discussed peaceful protest.
If a person has a heart condition, this shocking with gloves can’t be good. IN ANY CASE, THEY SHOULD BE OUTLAWED!
The goons are murdering innocent people and seem to be enjoying their jobs. Now they are getting new toys to play with (shock gloves), bet they just can’t wait to kill more people. I trust NO ONE anymore !!!