diff --git a/filament/src/Froxelizer.cpp b/filament/src/Froxelizer.cpp
index 2f9f8ce598..e8613c86fe 100644
--- a/filament/src/Froxelizer.cpp
+++ b/filament/src/Froxelizer.cpp
@@ -195,11 +195,8 @@ bool Froxelizer::prepare(
     assert(mLightRecords.begin());
     assert(mFroxelShardedData.begin());
 
-#ifndef NDEBUG
-    memset(mFroxelBufferUser.data(),    0x55, mFroxelBufferUser.sizeInBytes());
-    memset(mRecordBufferUser.data(),    0xEB, mRecordBufferUser.sizeInBytes());
-    memset(mFroxelShardedData.data(),   0xFD, mFroxelShardedData.sizeInBytes());
-#endif
+    // initialize buffers that need to be
+    memset(mLightRecords.data(),0, mLightRecords.sizeInBytes());
 
     return uniformsNeedUpdating;
 }
diff --git a/filament/src/details/Allocators.h b/filament/src/details/Allocators.h
index 8f434d8268..c581df77d8 100644
--- a/filament/src/details/Allocators.h
+++ b/filament/src/details/Allocators.h
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ using HeapAllocatorArena = utils::Arena<
 using LinearAllocatorArena = utils::Arena<
         utils::LinearAllocator,
         utils::LockingPolicy::NoLock,
-        utils::TrackingPolicy::HighWatermark>;
+        utils::TrackingPolicy::Debug>;
 
 #else
 
diff --git a/libs/utils/include/utils/Allocator.h b/libs/utils/include/utils/Allocator.h
index a81824c083..64bebfbe26 100644
--- a/libs/utils/include/utils/Allocator.h
+++ b/libs/utils/include/utils/Allocator.h
@@ -440,6 +440,7 @@ using Mutex = utils::Mutex;
 
 namespace TrackingPolicy {
 
+// default no-op tracker
 struct Untracked {
     Untracked() noexcept = default;
     Untracked(const char* name, size_t size) noexcept { }
@@ -449,24 +450,16 @@ struct Untracked {
     void onRewind(void* addr) noexcept { }
 };
 
-// This high watermark tracker works only with allocator that either implement
-// free(void*, size_t), or reset() / rewind()
-
+// This just track the max memory usage and logs it in the destructor
 struct HighWatermark {
     HighWatermark() noexcept = default;
-    HighWatermark(const char* name, size_t size) noexcept
-            : mName(name), mSize(uint32_t(size)) { }
+    HighWatermark(const char* name, size_t size) noexcept : mName(name), mSize(uint32_t(size)) { }
     ~HighWatermark() noexcept;
-    void onAlloc(void* p, size_t size, size_t alignment, size_t extra) noexcept {
-        if (!mBase) { mBase = p; }
-        mCurrent += uint32_t(size);
-        mHighWaterMark = mCurrent > mHighWaterMark ? mCurrent : mHighWaterMark;
-    }
+    void onAlloc(void* p, size_t size, size_t alignment, size_t extra) noexcept;
     void onFree(void* p, size_t size) noexcept { mCurrent -= uint32_t(size); }
     void onReset() noexcept {  mCurrent = 0; }
     void onRewind(void const* addr) noexcept { mCurrent = uint32_t(uintptr_t(addr) - uintptr_t(mBase)); }
-
-private:
+protected:
     const char* mName = nullptr;
     void* mBase = nullptr;
     uint32_t mSize = 0;
@@ -474,6 +467,18 @@ private:
     uint32_t mHighWaterMark = 0;
 };
 
+// This just fills buffers with known values to help catch uninitialized access and use after free.
+// It also tracks the high water mark
+struct Debug : protected HighWatermark {
+    Debug() noexcept = default;
+    Debug(const char* name, size_t size) noexcept : HighWatermark(name, size) { }
+    void onAlloc(void* p, size_t size, size_t alignment, size_t extra) noexcept;
+    void onFree(void* p, size_t = 0) noexcept;
+    void onReset() noexcept;
+    void onRewind(void* addr) noexcept;
+};
+
+
 } // namespace TrackingPolicy
 
 // ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/libs/utils/src/Allocator.cpp b/libs/utils/src/Allocator.cpp
index b5a4c25e5e..cd643d9a16 100644
--- a/libs/utils/src/Allocator.cpp
+++ b/libs/utils/src/Allocator.cpp
@@ -125,6 +125,15 @@ AtomicFreeList::AtomicFreeList(void* begin, void* end,
     mHead.store({ int32_t(head - mStorage), 0 });
 }
 
+// ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+void TrackingPolicy::HighWatermark::onAlloc(
+        void* p, size_t size, size_t alignment, size_t extra) noexcept {
+    if (!mBase) { mBase = p; }
+    mCurrent += uint32_t(size);
+    mHighWaterMark = mCurrent > mHighWaterMark ? mCurrent : mHighWaterMark;
+}
+
 TrackingPolicy::HighWatermark::~HighWatermark() noexcept {
     size_t wm = mHighWaterMark;
     size_t wmpct = wm / (mSize / 100);
@@ -134,4 +143,29 @@ TrackingPolicy::HighWatermark::~HighWatermark() noexcept {
     }
 }
 
+void TrackingPolicy::Debug::onAlloc(void* p, size_t size, size_t alignment, size_t extra) noexcept {
+    memset(p, 0xeb, size);
+    HighWatermark::onAlloc(p, size, alignment, extra);
+}
+
+void TrackingPolicy::Debug::onFree(void* p, size_t size) noexcept {
+    memset(p, 0xef, size);
+    HighWatermark::onFree(p, size);
+}
+
+void TrackingPolicy::Debug::onReset() noexcept {
+    if (mBase) {
+        memset(mBase, 0xec, mSize);
+    }
+    HighWatermark::onReset();
+}
+
+void TrackingPolicy::Debug::onRewind(void* addr) noexcept {
+    if (mBase) {
+        memset(addr, 0x55, uintptr_t(mBase) + mSize - uintptr_t(addr));
+    }
+    HighWatermark::onRewind(addr);
+}
+
+
 } // namespace utils