Southold Town probes vandalized Flock license plate reader cameras

Southold Town police are investigating several acts of vandalism targeting Flock license plate reader cameras.

Over Independence Day weekend, a camera in Greenport was found with its wires ripped out and splashed with paint, while another Greenport camera was splashed with paint and a camera in Peconic was found turned away from traffic, Southold Town Police Chief Steve Grattan said Tuesday. On Monday, one of the Greenport cameras, mounted on a small pole at the edge of the road, was struck by a vehicle and destroyed, Grattan said.

“I think they're certainly intentional,” Grattan said. “These cameras are the center of controversy all across the U.S.”

Flock cameras have faced growing scrutiny from residents and civil liberties groups over concerns that the technology could enable broad tracking of people’s movements and could be abused by those with access to their data.

Grattan said law enforcement agencies around the country have reported similar acts of vandalism.

The cameras, made by Flock Safety, capture images of passing vehicle license plates, collects information about the vehicles using an AI-powered software and makes that information available in a searchable database to the company's customers, which include police departments and businesses.

Flock did not immediately return a request for comment.

Southold began using the technology after the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office provided eight cameras in the fall of 2022, Grattan said. The town later added three more cameras using a law enforcement technology grant, he said.

Law enforcement agencies in Suffolk have sought to expand the use of Flock cameras in recent years to assist in crime-solving on the East End, Newsday has reported.

The chief said Southold town police officers have used the cameras to aid in criminal investigations and missing persons cases. He noted that earlier this year, the department used the technology to locate a 79-year-old Orient woman with dementia who was missing and had traveled out of state.

“I understand the privacy concerns, and I’m an advocate for the Fourth Amendment,” he said, referring to the constitutional protections for privacy and against unreasonable searches. “But these are installed in public places, and they’re extremely valuable to law enforcement for solving crimes and finding missing persons.”

The American Civil Liberties Union has argued that Flock’s practices amount to an invasion of privacy and has encouraged people to advocate for the cameras' removal. The organization has said most vehicles captured by the systems are not connected to criminal activity and that the data collected could be abused.

Online activists have created efforts such as “DeFlock,” a project that maps camera locations and campaigns against the technology's expansion. The Guardian recently reported on a growing vigilante movement to destroy or obstruct Flock cameras.

The ACLU also has raised concerns about law enforcement agencies sharing data collected by Flock with federal agents for civil immigration enforcement. East Hampton Village specifically prohibited the use of its Flock cameras for that purpose earlier this year when it barred cooperation agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Southold resident Jeremy Garretson, who has spoken out against the cameras at Southold Town Board meetings, said the incidents reflect a growing frustration about the cameras and privacy.

“I’m against vandalism, but I’m also against mass surveillance,” Garretson said in an interview. “At a certain point, people feel like they’ve addressed their government and nothing happens.”