offbeat
Two license plate readers torched in Georgia amid backlash against the surveillance network
Dougherty County Police Department (DCPD) near Albany, Georgia, is appealing for help from the local community after someone set two Flock Safety cameras on fire.Police initially investigated whether the automated license plate readers (ALPRs) had malfunctioned. After examining evidence from both scenes, however, officers reclassified the incidents as criminal damage to property.In an update communicated to journalists, reported by Fox 5 Atlanta, DCPD revealed nothing about what caused the fires at the 2400 block of Radium Springs Road near the intersection of Williamsburg Drive, nor did it offer any details about potential suspects that might help generate tips.
The locations provided by police closely correspond to two reported ALPR locations mapped on the deflock.org platform, a community-driven project to map these cameras across the US.
Flock, for the uninitiated, is a tech company that makes ALPRs, as well as other security devices such as cameras, gunshot audio detectors, drones, and more.However, mainly through controversial law enforcement partnerships, the company has - among some folk - built something of a negative brand image. Thousands of law enforcement agencies across the US deploy its technology, and stories of officials abusing ALPR systems are not rare.The Institute for Justice highlighted earlier this month at least 26 cases in which officers allegedly abused ALPR data to stalk romantic interests, with most of the incidents occurring since 2024.Likewise, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) claims less than 1 percent of the cars that pass through Flock’s systems are connected to crime, but nevertheless have their details scanned and uploaded to a national database, which can be queried by law enforcement officials.And while Flock has repeatedly denied giving Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) direct access to its systems, reports have shown local police running Flock searches on the agency's behalf. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has also accessed Flock data while pursuing immigrants.Widespread concerns about Flock's role in potentially undermining the personal privacy of US citizens has also led to police departments, and others, ending their contracts with the company.The Los Angeles Police Department announced last week that it would let its Flock contract expire, three years after initially signing a deal to access its cameras, which, despite not being owned by the police, are deployed across the city.
