The Shadow Lake HOA said the cameras were installed to help address crime in the neighborhood, including property theft. The issue was discussed Tuesday night at a Brentwood City Council meeting.
Residents said they recently became aware of the cameras.
"I asked him, 'Hey, what are these things?' Cause I noticed they were popping up all over. He said, 'Oh, these are license plate readers'," Brentwood resident Anthony Carmona said.
Some residents expressed concerns about surveillance and data collection. The HOA said data from the cameras will be retained for 30 days.
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Many residents interviewed said they might have supported the cameras if they had been informed in advance.
"I wasn't too happy about it, because I hadn't heard about it," Carmona said.
"I think my initial instinct was, it's unnecessary. I understand it's meant for protecting and providing additional safety, but we didn't receive any information on what it was and what its intentions were," said Michele Spring-Fajeau of Brentwood.
The HOA said homeowners were notified about the camera installation and that multiple open forums were held before the devices were put in place. The association also said management is the only entity with access to the video and that the cameras are not intended to continuously record residents and their homes.
"I don't know that it's appropriate for private entities to have that information up front," said Soren Fajeau of Brentwood.
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At least one member of the Brentwood City Council said she has concerns about the use of private cameras and is reviewing the issue.
"It's mass surveillance, and I think we need guardrails around that," said Councilmember Jovita Mendoza.
The Brentwood City Council plans to hold a future discussion on potential rules governing privately owned Flock cameras.
We reached out to the HOA with several questions and these are their responses:
Were homeowners told about the cameras going up? Many told me they had no idea.
Yes. The Shadow Lakes community was notified about the proposed Flock Safety system through multiple forms of communication.
In January, the Association conducted a community survey in which security was identified as a significant topic of concern. The Board subsequently held multiple open forum meetings between November 2025 and June 2026 where the implementation of Flock Safety was discussed.
The Association also distributed multiple newsletters and other communications to homeowners before and after the installation. These communications were sent through Constant Contact, which provides analytics regarding delivery, openings and link engagement. The newsletters have also been posted on the Shadow Lakes community website and remain available to homeowners.
While the Association made multiple efforts to communicate the project, we recognize that individual homeowners may not have seen or opened every communication that was distributed.
Who is able to look at the video?
Management is the only administrator of the Flock Safety system for the Association.
How long is the video kept?
The captured data is retained for 30 days.
What will the cameras capture?
The Flock cameras are license plate readers that capture images of vehicle license plates entering and exiting the community. They are not intended to provide continuous video surveillance of residents or their homes.
Have there been crime problems in the area?
Security has been an ongoing concern for the Shadow Lakes community. Prior to implementing Flock Safety, the Association was spending approximately $300,000 annually on 24-hour roving security patrols, at approximately $25,000 per month.
Despite that significant investment in security, the community continued to experience incidents involving crime and property theft. For example, approximately two weeks after the Flock system was fully installed, a homeowner reported that their vehicle had been stolen from their residence.
The decision to implement Flock was made as part of the Association's broader effort to improve security while also evaluating the effectiveness and cost of the existing security measures.
Are these being used instead of a security guard? One man told me he's under the belief that the security guard hours have been cut in light of this.
One of the three existing 24-hour security patrol shifts was eliminated as a cost-saving measure in connection with the Association's overall security strategy.
Before making that change, the Association consulted with the Brentwood Police Department regarding crime patterns and the hours during which crime activity was lowest. Based on that information, the Board determined that one of the three patrol shifts could be eliminated while continuing to maintain security coverage during the other two shifts.
The Flock system was not implemented simply as a replacement for security personnel. Rather, the Association evaluated the existing security program, the cost of maintaining 24-hour roving patrols, reported crime concerns, and available technology in determining how best to allocate the community's security resources.
The goal is to provide the community with an effective security strategy while being responsible with Association funds.