Vandals cut down and stole all eight Flock Safety license-plate cameras in Winona, Minnesota, in coordinated operation
Vandals have cut down or stolen Flock Safety license-plate cameras across Minnesota cities, including all eight in Winona. Justin Lee Campbell, 42, faces felony charges in Rice County. Critics cite the cameras' use in immigration enforcement. Source: Star Tribune, KSTP.
Vandals have been cutting down and stealing Flock Safety automated license-plate-reading cameras across multiple Minnesota cities. In Winona, all eight of the city's cameras were stolen after their mounting poles were sawed down in what police described as a coordinated operation. In Faribault, a camera was taken from atop a 10-foot pole. Similar incidents have been reported in Duluth, Plymouth, Edina and Anoka County. Justin Lee Campbell, 42, was charged in Rice County District Court with felony interference with emergency communications and gross misdemeanor theft in connection with an alleged camera theft. The backlash follows growing privacy concerns about the Flock camera network, including its use in immigration enforcement and the scale of vehicle data it collects nationwide. City governments in Fort Collins, Colorado, Eugene, Oregon, and Madison, Wisconsin have already deactivated their Flock cameras or canceled their contracts following public pushback. Source: Star Tribune, KSTP, GovTech.