Florida Cops Use "Bait" Flock Camera To Catch Guy Breaking Them

Automatic license plate readers have been popping up all over the country, and it's come with a lot of controversy. While some like the peace of mind they have with knowing if a crime is committed, a vehicle can be tracked just about anywhere, others aren't happy with the concept of constant surveillance and cataloging of people when they're not committing crimes.

Around the country, stories are coming out that people have been painting, smashing, and all around cutting down these ALPRs. One police department had enough of the damage, and set out to catch the guy doing it.

Oviedo police noticed that several Flock Safety cameras were stolen from the Lockwood Boulevard corridor between July 23rd and August 3rd. Their idea, was to set up some more cameras - but these cameras don't read license plates. In fact, they weren't even functioning cameras at all.

Oviedo Mayor Megan Sladek said in a Facebook post that the police department had installed decoy cameras and monitored them until someone would cut it down.

“I do not know who paid for the decoy,” Sladek wrote. “As soon as I know more, I will share it with you. Transparency is so important.”

The bait cameras were installed around 10pm on Wednesday. Not even 3 hours later, a tall man wearing gloves and a face covering walked up to the bait camera, carrying a set of pruning shears.

He knocked the camera from the pole, and then smashed it against the ground until it broke.

Police say the man ran north, along Lockwood Boulevard, but he didn't run anymore once the sergeant watching the pole activated his emergency lights and ordered him to stop. Officers identified him as 24-year-old Evan Meyer.

Meyer told officers he was not comfortable with a Flock camera near his street, and had heard some bad news on the internet about the company and use of their cameras.

Meyer admitted taking his father’s pruning shears from the garage and walking down the street to destroy the camera. He said the tool was to be used to damage the camera, not be used on officers or anyone else who might try to intervene.

He did not know it was a replica camera.

Meyer is facing charges of grand theft, criminal mischief causing at least $1,000 damage and damaging computer or electronic equipment. His total bond was set at $7,500.

What Is An ALPR?

They're called ALPRs: Automated License Plate Readers. The most well-known brand to people is from the company Flock Safety.

How ALPRs Work

ALPRs are AI-powered, capturing and analyzing all passing vehicles, storing details like a car's location, date, and time. The cameras capture details like make, model, color and even identifying features such as dents, roof racks, and bumper stickers.

Nationwide, the cameras collect data from millions of vehicles, explained as a tool to help fight crime. If a vehicle is described to law enforcement, they can put those details into their database.

A description like "It was a white car with a Cubs bumper sticker on the right side of the back window, I saw it around 3:30pm on Wednesday, July 18th" can turn up results that not only show the path the vehicle took, but any previous or future drives past the cameras that the vehicle took.