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Police see rise in Flock camera vandalism cases
Many police departments in Washington state use Flock cameras to help track down stolen cars, missing people and criminals. But many who are against the surveillance say they're concerned about safety, and even want the cameras to be destroyed.
SEATTLE - Flock cameras are designed to help police track down stolen cars, missing people and criminals.
But an online movement opposing the automated license plate readers is calling for the cameras to be disabled or destroyed — and police in Washington say some of that rhetoric has already translated into vandalism.
Online movement targets Flock cameras
Videos circulating online promote what some creators call "Deflock America," including calls to disable or cut down Flock surveillance cameras.
One video says Halloween is being promoted as "Deflock America Night," describing an effort to encourage people to "cut down or disable flock surveillance cameras using Halloween as cover."
Other videos are framed as satire, with creators appearing to use humor and disclaimers about what people should not do while still discussing vandalizing the cameras.
"What you should not do is get yourself a mask, what you shouldn’t do is grab a cheap saw and cut down flock cameras," narrates one video.
The content has raised concerns among law enforcement, because some police agencies say the online discussion is no longer limited to social media.
Washington cameras targeted
According to the volunteer-run DeFlock project, more than 130,000 automated license plate reader cameras have been mapped nationwide. The project says its data is crowdsourced and can be incomplete or out of date.
DeFlock's map currently shows more than 2,100 mapped automated license plate readers in Washington, with Flock Safety accounting for the large majority of mapped cameras. Another independent Washington ALPR inventory lists 2,187 mapped cameras in the state and says 1,912, or 87.4%, are attributed to Flock Safety.
Those numbers represent cameras that have been mapped by volunteers — not a definitive count of every camera operating in the state.
Flock camera. (FOX 13 Seattle)
Covington police say cameras were vandalized
Covington Police Chief Adam Easterbrook says his department has eight Flock cameras and several have been targeted over the past two months.
In one incident, four juveniles were arrested after police say they fired fireworks at one of the cameras.
"They told us this was a social media thing, and they were telling us, like, they're — they're telling us to cut down the cameras because the cameras are spying on us," Easterbrook said.
Easterbrook says police explained that the cameras are used to identify vehicles and provide investigative leads.
The chief says another group posted on Instagram showing themselves damaging cameras. That investigation remains ongoing.
Cameras also damaged in Yakima and Ellensburg
In Yakima, a Flock camera was cut down earlier this month. Police said repairing or replacing the camera would cost about $2,000.
In Ellensburg, Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison said a man was arrested for damaging several cameras.
Morrison said authorities have taken additional steps to protect some of the equipment.
"You've seen some decoy cameras now being set up with other surveillance around them," Morrison said. "Destroying property is not the best way to find an answer to your problems."
Police urge opponents to use the political process
Opposition to automated license plate readers has centered largely on privacy concerns and how law enforcement agencies use and retain the data.
Washington lawmakers enacted new restrictions on automated license plate readers this year, including a 21-day retention limit with certain exceptions. The law also requires agencies using the systems to register them with the state attorney general and establishes restrictions on data access and sharing.
Easterbrook says people who oppose the technology have a legal avenue to challenge it.
"If you come armed with facts, they may change their mind and turn them off, and that's totally okay," Easterbrook said.
He previously told FOX 13 Seattle that he would encourage people who oppose Flock cameras to take their concerns to their local city council rather than damaging the equipment.
Flock says vandalism can affect investigations
Flock Systems said it condemns the vandalism, and argued that taking cameras offline interferes with police investigations.
"Any coordinated effort encouraging people to damage this equipment doesn't just target a company, it targets the tools officers rely on to solve serious crimes and find missing people in their own communities. People have every right to make their voices heard, but criminal acts should never be part of that process," a Flock spokesperson told FOX 13 Seattle. "Damaging public safety equipment is illegal and puts communities at risk, which is why we strongly condemn this type of behavior. When a camera is taken offline, an investigative lead can disappear, and a time-sensitive alert tied to an AMBER Alert, a missing-person case, or a violent crime suspect on the move may never reach the officers who need it."
The company said it is aware of the incidents in Ellensburg and Covington and is working with local law enforcement.
What Washington law says
Damaging a Flock camera can result in criminal charges, but the specific charge depends on the circumstances.
Washington's malicious-mischief laws make certain types of property damage a felony. Second-degree malicious mischief is a class C felony when someone knowingly and maliciously causes more than $750 in physical damage or creates a substantial risk of interruption or impairment of public service by damaging certain public property.
First-degree malicious mischief is a class B felony under circumstances including damage exceeding $5,000 or certain interruptions of public service.
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The Source: Information in this story comes from original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle reporter Alejandra Guzman.