GoKawiil
Tech News
An Oviedo, Florida man, Evan Meyer, was charged with three felonies after cutting down and smashing what turned out to be a decoy Flock Safety camera. Police had installed the cheap 3D-printed replicas after real license-plate-reading cameras were stolen from a corridor between late July and early August, hoping to lure and catch vandals.
A Georgia Bureau of Investigation probe found that three Savannah police officers and one community service specialist improperly used the city's Flock automatic license plate reader system to track personal acquaintances and family members. All four were arrested last week, and two other employees had already been fired for similar conduct. Mayor Van Johnson publicly condemned the abuse, calling it a breach of public trust.
Police in Oviedo, Florida arrested 24-year-old Evan Meyer and charged him with three felonies after he destroyed what he believed was a real Flock surveillance camera. In reality, the camera was a 3D-printed decoy set up as part of a sting operation targeting people who vandalize the AI-powered license plate readers. Mayor Megan Sladek said she was unaware of the decoy operation and acknowledged the charges are controversial, especially as the city council is weighing whether to end its Flock contract.
At a San Diego City Council budget meeting, DJ and activist Anthony Ralphs appeared as Darth Vader to satirize the city's renewed contract with surveillance firm Flock Safety, delivering a mock endorsement praising the technology's ability to track 'rebel scum.' The stunt, filmed and shared online, went viral across TikTok and Instagram, reaching millions of viewers. Ralphs, who has spent roughly a year opposing the San Diego Police Department's use of Flock's tools, later revealed his identity behind the mask to take credit for the performance.
In Houston, two on-duty police officers jumped into an Uber driver's vehicle mid-shift to pursue a shirtless suspect who had allegedly threatened a woman and her two children. The driver, Anthony Baines, followed the officers' directions and even picked up a second officer before both bailed out to continue the chase on foot. The suspect ultimately got away, and Baines later learned he wasn't legally obligated to assist police in that way.
Georgia's GBI arrested three former Savannah Police Department officers and one former civilian staffer for improperly accessing Flock Safety's license plate reader network for non-law-enforcement purposes. The officers face two counts of misuse of a license plate reader system plus a violation of oath of office charge, while the civilian employee faces two misuse counts. Savannah PD uncovered the abuse through an internal audit, fired the individuals, and referred the case to state investigators.
A public research project called the Atlas of Surveillance has compiled the largest known database tracking police surveillance tools used across the United States, including automated license plate readers made by Flock Safety. The tool lets residents search by location to see whether local law enforcement agencies have deployed these camera systems in their area.
Garrett Langley, CEO of surveillance firm Flock Safety, has been giving media interviews urging a 'compromise' between privacy and public safety as scrutiny of his company's cameras and license plate recognition tools intensifies. The pushback follows a Washington Post investigation citing 46 cases of police officers allegedly misusing Flock's technology to track partners or exes, prompting Langley to apologize while denying his company caused the abuse.