City council meetings rarely produce anything worthy of a movie trailer. San Diego managed to change that when a towering figure in black armor approached the microphone and began speaking about surveillance, police technology, and the needs of the Galactic Empire, as reported by The Guardian.
The unidentified man was dressed head to toe as Darth Vader during public comment at a San Diego City Council Public Safety Committee meeting. Rather than objecting to the city’s use of automated license plate readers in the conventional way, he offered officials an enthusiastic endorsement on behalf of Emperor Palpatine.
“The Emperor is a fan of Flock,” Vader declared, before explaining why the technology would prove invaluable for tracking “Rebel scum.” Anyone familiar with Star Wars could probably guess that his support was not entirely sincere.
What followed was a roughly two-minute satirical speech targeting Flock Safety cameras, surveillance practices, homelessness policy, policing, and government spending. Several people visible behind the speaker appeared to have difficulty keeping straight faces as the Dark Lord made his case.
The Empire Apparently Loves License Plate Readers
Flock Safety operates automated license plate recognition cameras that photograph passing vehicles and record identifying information such as their license plates. Police agencies can search that data when investigating crimes, locating stolen vehicles, or attempting to find missing people.
Vader framed those capabilities somewhat differently. He argued that the cameras should remain because they could help the Empire “follow and surveil the Rebel scum” as they traveled between playgrounds, swimming pools, and gymnasiums.
The satire became considerably darker when he suggested the system could help him stalk an ex-girlfriend. That line referenced a genuine concern surrounding access to surveillance databases, particularly after reported cases involving law enforcement personnel misusing such systems for personal purposes.
Vader Eventually Went Looking For Luke Skywalker
The speaker did not limit himself to Flock cameras. His comments expanded into criticism of San Diego’s treatment of homelessness, government spending, incarceration, and what he portrayed as contradictions within the city’s public-safety policies.
Eventually, though, Vader returned to safer territory… hunting Jedi. He claimed Flock technology would allow authorities to locate the Rebel base on Hoth and track Luke Skywalker as he traveled through the galaxy in his X-wing.
“This technology is a necessary, necessary force,” he concluded, squeezing one final Star Wars reference into his argument. It was an unusually theatrical way of making a serious political point, though certainly harder to forget than the average public-comment speech.
Flock Cameras Have Become Increasingly Controversial
Behind the costume there’s a genuine debate over automated license plate readers and how much information governments should be able to collect about ordinary drivers. Flock promotes its cameras as law-enforcement tools capable of helping police recover stolen vehicles, locate missing people, and identify suspects.
Privacy advocates have raised concerns about how broadly that information can be searched, how long it is retained, and who can gain access to it. The Guardian reports that a San Diego man spent approximately a month in jail after Flock data incorrectly connected him to an attempted violent carjacking.
Resistance has also spread beyond California. According to figures from the grassroots organization DeFlock cited by The Guardian, roughly 100 municipalities had deactivated, rejected, or cancelled Flock contracts by August 2026.
Flock announced additional safeguards this month aimed at preventing misuse, including requiring law enforcement customers to adopt an audit-assistance feature by the end of the year. Critics have argued those measures still do not fully address privacy concerns surrounding large-scale vehicle tracking.
San Diego Is Still Using The Cameras
San Diego voted in December to continue using the Flock system, meaning the cameras remain part of the city’s policing infrastructure despite the controversy surrounding them. That decision appears to have provided the inspiration for Thursday’s performance.
The identity of the person behind the Darth Vader mask is unknown, which makes the stunt even more fitting. Whoever was inside the costume understood that if you want people discussing automated license plate readers afterward, quoting the Galactic Empire is considerably harder to ignore than reading from a prepared statement in business casual.
We’re not entirely convinced that the performance changed anyone’s opinion on Flock. It did, however, get people outside the meeting to talk about it, and that’s something most city council speeches never manage to accomplish.