Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Aug 26
Florida Police Charge 24-Year-Old After Decoy Flock Camera Smashing
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Aug 26

Florida Police Charge 24-Year-Old After Decoy Flock Camera Smashing

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 26

Summary

  • Evan Meyer, 24, was charged with three felonies after Oviedo police said they watched him knock down and smash a fake Flock camera around 1 a.m. on Aug. 20.
  • Police said the device was a 3-D-printed plastic decoy set out to bait vandals after several real Flock license-plate readers had been stolen in recent weeks.
  • Meyer allegedly used pruning shears and wore a mask; investigators said he later told them he was uncomfortable with two Flock cameras installed near his home about a block away.
  • The arrest highlights both Oviedo's use of automated license-plate readers and the broader backlash those surveillance cameras have drawn nationwide.

Insights

Can smashing a cheap 3D-printed plastic decoy really land a frustrated citizen with a high-value grand theft felony?
Are neighborhood license plate readers catching dangerous criminals, or secretly enabling unchecked mass surveillance and stalking?
Why did local police launch a secret midnight surveillance sting operation without even informing their own city mayor?