Flock Camera Charges Dropped as Surveillance Backlash Grows

An Ohio grand jury declined to indict Cody Morelock, charged with felony vandalism over a destroyed Flock license plate reader camera in a Cincinnati suburb.

Police in Union Township said Morelock took apart the camera, its support pole and its solar panel on June 13, and put the damage at more than 1,000 dollars.

Investigators identified him using footage from nearby cameras along with records tied to a credit card and a customer rewards account, and he posted a 10,000 dollar bond after his arrest.

The Clermont County grand jury refused to return an indictment and the charges were dismissed.

The case lands in the middle of a national backlash against Flock, whose cameras log plate numbers and vehicle details in a central database that police in other cities and states can search.

Dozens of the cameras have been vandalized around the country, including all eight in Winona, Minnesota, which someone cut down and stole earlier in the month.

The Institute for Justice counted more than 100 cases of officers abusing the technology as of August 12, while the Electronic Frontier Foundation calls the company's new safeguards cosmetic and argues that searching plate reader data should require a warrant.