Map: Flock cameras targeted by vandals across US
FILE-A Flock Safety camera is shown mounted to a light pole on August 03, 2026 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
A device created to monitor car movements and investigate crimes has been linked to various incidents of vandalism nationwide.
Flock cameras in several states were targeted by some who have damaged the readers and, in some instances, cut them down.
The cameras are designed to track vehicles' license plates, models, makes and colors, allowing police to search a database for the precise movements of any car when it is captured by a camera.
RELATED: Metro Detroit Flock camera vandalism continues; surveillance complaints persist
Flock, the company that manufactures the devices, has faced scrutiny from some over privacy and surveillance concerns.
The USA Today reported that the organization’s cameras are installed within the areas of over 6,000 law enforcement agencies in the country. Flock tells the news outlet that it has 120,000 cameras in 49 states.
What are Flock cameras?
The backstory:
Flock cameras are automated license plate reading (ALPR) systems designed by Flock and used by law enforcement and businesses to capture car details like license plates, make, model, and color.
The devices snap pictures of every passing car, and artificial intelligence records the state license plate, plate number, vehicle make, model, color and records unique appearance details.
RELATED: LAPD sued over Flock Safety license plate cameras
AI then pulls the license plate number, state, vehicle make, model, color, and specific characteristics including dents.
Flock camera incidents reported in the U.S.
Dig deeper:
Flock camera incidents were reported in cities across multiple states this year. Below is a list of locations where vandals have targeted the devices.
Michigan
Oakland County officials tell FOX 2 Detroit that individuals are damaging or disabling cameras in several Michigan communities, includin, Birmingham, Novi, Pontiac, Waterford, West Bloomfield.
In July, two cameras were damaged in Novi while West Bloomfield experienced repeated vandalism at some locations. FOX 2 Detroit reported that in Waterford, several cameras were ripped from their mounts and smashed in February, leading to felony charges against a Michigan man.
Arizona
In Apache Junction, Arizona, a man used the bed of his work truck to tilt one of the Flock cameras toward the sky on Aug. 8. Ed Kahle told FOX 10 Phoenix he was arrested and faces a felony criminal damage charge, but added that he does not regret his actions.
FOX 10 Phoenix reported that the camera has since been removed, and the man told the news outlet that he didn’t damage the camera itself but fears he could be facing a felony charge since it’s no longer serviceable.
Illinois
On July 28, three Chicago-area men were charged after authorities said they stole and vandalized five automated license plate reader cameras in Dupage County, Illinois.
Anthony Pareigis, Jacob Steichmann, and Thomas Yano were each charged with two counts of theft of government property valued between $500 and $10,000, a Class 2 felony, and two counts of criminal damage to government-supported property, a Class 3 felony, FOX 32 Chicago reported.
RELATED: Arizona man uses truck to bend flock camera in Apache Junction
New York
The New York Post reported on Aug. 2 that four Flock Safety cameras were vandalized in Southold, New York in July.
Southold Police Chief Steve Grattan confirmed to the news outlet that two Flock Cameras were vandalized during the Fourth of July weekend. Grattan said both devices had paint splattered on them and the other had the wires unplugged.
Idaho
On July 7, a man using his truck hit two Flock cameras near the entrance of a Lowe’s store in Pocatello, Idaho. Witnesses told police they watched a truck strike the camera, then drive across the parking lot and hit a second camera near the store’s southwest entrance, KTVB in Idaho reported, citing a police report.
KTVB in Idaho reported Allyn James Carter was charged with felony malicious injury to property and failing to report a crash, according to court documents obtained by the news outlet.
California
In Monterey County, California, authorities say Marcus Bee was arrested on July 28 for intentionally vandalizing at least three Flock Safety Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) cameras, according to a media release posted on the Monterey County Sheriff's Office’s official Facebook page.
Tennessee
Adam Heimerman, a local congressional candidate, was charged for allegedly shooting four Flock automated license plate reader cameras. After he was arrested, Heimeran admitted to police that he used a gun to shoot the devices– three in Blount County, Tennessee and one in Maryville, Tennessee between July 14 and July 22.
Blount County Sheriff officials in Tennessee announced on July 31 that felony vandalism charges were brought against Heimerman for damaging the cameras.
Misuse of Flock cameras investigated in several states
Big picture view:
On Aug. 10, an Apache Junction police officer in Arizona resigned after an internal investigation found he used automated license plate reader (ALPR) technology to track down his wife for personal reasons, FOX 10 Phoenix reported citing police.
In Georgia, an ex-Dallas Police Department 911 director was arrested and accused of misusing the Flock license plate reader system, FOX 5 Atlanta reported on Aug. 12, citing the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).
RELATED: Apache Junction officer resigns after using license plate reader to track down his wife
The agency arrested and charged Heidi Taylor, 52, on Wednesday with two misdemeanor counts of misuse of the license plate reader system. Taylor is accused of accessing the system between 2024 and 2025 for non-law enforcement purposes.
In a separate incident in Georgia, a former Polk County police officer was arrested on charges of misusing the Flock camera system.
FOX 5 Atlanta reported on Aug. 8 that Tracey Royston, 51, faces four misdemeanor counts of misuse of a license plate reader system.
RELATED: Polk County officer arrested for misusing Flock system, GBI reports
On Aug.11, a Florida police officer was accused of misusing Flock camera databases to track his estranged wife's car. Authorities told FOX 13 Tampa that they were informed about Officer Christopher Goodson possibly misusing the database. A criminal investigation was opened, and Goodson was placed on paid administrative leave.
In North Carolina, a police officer was charged with a count of unlawfully accessing computers. She was accused of using her department's license plate-reader system to search the car of her boyfriend's ex-wife 31 times.
RELATED: FLOCK cameras help find kidnapped Florida kids: LCPD
WBTV in North Carolina reported on Aug. 5. that Officer Elizabeth Snowman allegedly input fake reasons for her searches into the system like traffic violations and burglary.
In a separate incident, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation said in a Facebook post in July that another North Carolina police officer faces a similar charge for performing an unauthorized license plate search.
The agency added that Officer Seth Elliot was taken into custody after a probe determined that he allegedly ran an unauthorized inquiry for a North Carolina license plate registration.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by reporting from FOX 13 Tampa, FOX 32 Chicago, FOX 5 Atlanta, FOX 11 Los Angeles, and FOX 10 Phoenix, FOX 2 Detroit, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, WBTV in North Carolina, KTVB in Idaho, the Blount County Sheriff's office in Tennessee, The USA Today, The New York Post, and Flock.com. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.