A grand jury in Ohio has declined to indict a man charged with felony vandalism for allegedly destroying a Flock automatic license plate reader camera.
Police in Union Township, a Cincinnati suburb, accused Cody Morelock of disassembling the camera, its support pole and solar panel on June 13.
Investigators, according to WKRC-TV in Cincinnati, identified Morelock after obtaining surveillance footage from other cameras near the scene as well as information linked to a credit card and a customer rewards account.
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Police estimated the damage at more than $1,000. Morelock posted a $10,000 bond and was released from custody shortly after his arrest.
A Clermont County grand jury, however, opted not to indict Morelock, and the charges were dismissed.
Flock resistance growing
While details on the grand jury’s decision are limited, it comes amid a growing backlash against Flock and its cameras.
The company’s cameras record the license plate numbers and characteristics of vehicles that pass by. The data is then hosted in a central database that can be accessed not only by local police but often by law enforcement agencies in other cities and states.
The incident in Union Township is part of an ongoing trend that has seen dozens of Flock cameras vandalized across the country. Earlier this month, police in Winona, Minnesota, reported that someone had cut down and stolen each of the city’s eight license plate reader cameras.
Social media users are promoting a loosely organized event known as “De-Flock America Night,” encouraging people to vandalize or obscure Flock cameras on Halloween.
The backlash against Flock has intensified as a growing number of police officers have been accused of or charged with abusing the technology, often to stalk romantic interests. As of Aug. 12, there had been more than 100 cases of abuse by law enforcement, according to the Institute for Justice.
In response, Flock announced new safeguards designed to prevent misuse by police. Critics, such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation, argue that the reforms are largely “cosmetic,” and that warrants should be required for searching license plate reader data.