Flock cameras are at the center of controversy all over the U.S. because of concerns about unwarranted surveillance and potential misuse, spurring many areas to take down the policing tools.
St. Lucie County, Florida, for one, is removing all 66 of its 52 Flock cameras.
You read that right — it’s taking down more cameras than it knew existed in its territory along the Atlantic coast.
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In August, the Florida Department of Transportation ordered local agencies to remove Flock cameras from all state highway rights-of-way by Sept. 30.
St. Lucie County officials knew they had erected 52 Flock cameras, which record passing vehicles’ license plates, as well as their time and location and other information, along main roads.
But when they went to take the cameras down, they found 66 of the devices — 14 of which had not been permitted by the county.
Now, police have a new mystery to investigate: Who put them up?
Some cameras claimed
County officials gave the list of unpermitted cameras to the three local law enforcement agencies in the area. The St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office claimed three of the cameras as theirs. It’s not yet clear why they didn’t have a permit.
No one claimed the remaining 11 cameras, and it’s not known if they’re actively collecting data and who can access it if they are, according to The Washington Post.
County spokesperson Erick Gill said notices have been posted near those cameras giving their owners 30 days to take them down. He said those deadlines range from Oct. 16 to Oct. 20.
It’s not clear if the county knows who owns them, but Gill told the Post they haven’t yet reached out to the owners, giving them the full 30 days to respond to the notices. In the meantime, the country is covering the cameras with plastic bags.
How did this happen?
Flock cameras aren’t exclusive to law enforcement agencies. Private companies can also purchase the technology.
Flock Safety, the company that sells the devices, usually takes care of getting the necessary permits and installing the cameras. The company told the Post it applies for permits “where required, but permitting requirements vary by jurisdiction and are not necessary in every location.”
“We have reached out to St. Lucie County and are happy to work with them directly to review the cameras in question and address any discrepancies,” Flock spokesperson Paris Lewbel said in an email to the Post.
Citizens raise concerns
Ty Grant, who lives near one of the unclaimed Flock cameras, told the Post he assumed the police had put it up. He was disturbed to find out they hadn’t.
Fear No Fact.
There are more than 6,700 Flock cameras and license plate readers in Florida, according to the website “Flock Camera Locations.”
“That makes me feel very unsafe,” he said.
On Monday, Flock cameras were on the agenda for the Port St. Lucie City Commission.
“Mass surveillance is wrong and has a negative impact on those under that surveillance,” one resident said during the meeting before a vote on whether to remove the cameras. “We have become too comfortable with bleeding-edge technologies without proper research or testing.”
Commissioners ultimately voted to remove the 18 Flock cameras along city streets in addition to the FDOT mandate.
Residents applauded the decision.
“We’ve grown up in this country understanding that mass surveillance is wrong,” Casey Honeycutt, another local who lives around the corner from one of the license plate readers, told CBS12 News. “Authoritarian governments use it against their citizens and we don’t want that.”
Round out your reading
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