One person was arrested Tuesday, Aug. 25, after a group cut down a Flock camera in Temecula amid nationwide criticism of the automated license plate readers, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office.
Around 9 p.m., a community member told a deputy patrolling near East Benton and De Portola roads that they saw a group of people take down a Flock camera and load it into a vehicle, the Sheriff’s Office said.
The deputy got a license plate number for the vehicle and found it with assistance from the Sheriff’s Office’s Aviation Unit at a home in the 43000 block of Matera Court. Deputies conducted a traffic stop, detained everyone in the vehicle and recovered the stolen camera, which the Sheriff’s Office said would be returned to Flock Safety.
An 18-year-old, whom the Sheriff’s Department referred to as a “primary suspect,” was arrested on suspicion of grand theft and felony vandalism, and the other detainees were released.
“Vandalizing or damaging Flock cameras is a serious crime and will be aggressively investigated,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. “Those who intentionally damage, destroy, or tamper with Flock cameras will face felony charges and arrest.”
Flock automated license plate reader cameras, which collect photos of license plates and vehicles into databases that users can search, have come under fire after some law enforcement officers have used the cameras to stalk ex-romantic partners. Law enforcement agencies in Southern California and across the country have also shared Flock data with federal immigration officials.
Frustration with the technology has led to calls on social media for communities to vandalize and tear down the cameras in protest of law enforcement surveillance.
The criticism has led to changes in some Southern California cities, including South Pasadena and Los Angeles, which each opted to end agreements for Flock automated license plate reader cameras earlier this year.