Ominous Surveillance “Scarecrows” Appearing Across America
Police technology is a major business in the United States. In total, the law enforcement equipment market was valued at nearly $11.7 billion in 2025, and as dystopian toys like self-driving squad cars and crime-fighting drone hives hit the market, that figure is set to skyrocket.
The “camera on wheels” platform, known as COW for short – or “Scarecrows,” for a more ominous nickname, is growing in popularity among police departments across the country. While not as exciting as “Fallout”-style police robots, COWs offer a low-effort solution to departments whose panopticon has a few blind spots.
COWs are essentially tiny trailers equipped with a solar panel, a battery and a telescopic video surveillance mast. They are sold by high-tech companies like Flock Safety (shown below) and rented by traditional security companies like Allied Universal.
As Nile Coates, vice president of US sales for surveillance company ECAM, said in a rather uncritical interview with a media outlet. KTLA5These towers can easily connect to local police feeds via cellular or WiFi networks, bringing AI-powered facial recognition to any public or commercial location you can dream of.
“Our first line of defense is deterrence. We stop crimes before they start,” Coates told the station. “This presence alone reduces risk, and when activity increases, our team can speak directly to local ranger partners as well as law enforcement.
The number of cameras deployed by these companies and their law enforcement is staggering. ECAM, for example, has a network of more than 150,000 cameras, Coates boasted on the news channel.
“Sometimes they’re called scarecrows because they have flashing lights and cameras on them, and they look pretty scary,” said Logan Harris, CEO of military surveillance company Spotter Global. KTLA.
Scary or not, Harris says COWs aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, as police departments, security contractors and military agencies flood the for-profit surveillance industry with money.
“The market has spoken,” CEO said KTLA. “It’s pretty amazing how quickly this whole market segment has grown. Having this kind of video evidence or other sensor data is really helpful.”
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