‘I am speechless’: Police used fake Flock camera to catch alleged vandal, Oviedo mayor says
OVIEDO, Fla. —
The mayor of Oviedo on Friday posted to social media that she had no idea her city’s police department had used a fake Flock camera.
“I am speechless,” Mayor Megan Sladek said on Facebook. “I spoke to the city manager and he confirmed the City of Oviedo – Police Department did, in fact, put up a fake Flock camera, then kept a close eye on it until someone came and cut it down.”
Flock cameras have become controversial, with some cities working to ban them after community outrage
“I do not know who paid for the decoy. As soon as I know more, I will share it with you. Transparency is so important. #LoveOviedo,” she said.
An arrest report says the fake camera was used in an attempt to catch people trying to vandalize them.
A 24-year-old Oviedo man is facing charges after allegedly using pruning shears to smash the fake flock camera.
Police Chief Dale Coleman clarified that the damaged device was not a real camera.
“One of our officers has a 3D printer and figured out a way to print out a camera that looks remarkably like an LPR camera,” Coleman said.
The chief explained that the fake camera was made after two of the city’s eight flock cameras were stolen or vandalized. He said the decoy camera cost the city nothing.
An arrest report for Evan Meyer says he is facing multiple charges after the alleged vandalism. Including grand theft of property valued at $750 to $5,000 and criminal mischief for damaging property worth $1,000 or more.
The report says Meyer told officers he believed the camera was worth anywhere from $1,000 to $5,000 dollars to replace. It says the real cost is around $800.
Coleman said he didn’t believe monitoring the fake camera resulted in any overtime costs.
“They just rearranged some schedules,” he said.
Mayor Sladek emphasized Friday night that issues with flock cameras do not justify damaging public property.
“There’s two completely separate issues,” Sladek said.
When asked about her stance on the upcoming city council vote in September regarding the future of the cameras, Sladek said, “I did not vote to put in the flock cameras in the first place. There has not been a lot of evidence that has increased my comfort level with them, so I am not inclined to change my vote.”
Despite the controversy, Coleman remains supportive of the cameras.
“We’re trying to be good stewards of what the people trust us to do, but we do know that it does benefit us when it comes to solving crime,” he said.
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Recent pushback
Residents in Oviedo attended a city council meeting Monday night to discuss the city’s use of eight Flock license plate reader cameras. Many of them pushed back on the cameras.
“These cameras should not be allowed throughout our beloved city,” one resident said during the public comment session.
Another resident added, “I would like council to make it impossible for Oviedo Police to abuse the system by no longer having it here.”
At least one resident supported the cameras, saying, “Keep the Flock cameras. I want the security.”
The discussion was added to the council’s agenda after a resident raised concerns about the cameras during an earlier council meeting.
>> Related: Oviedo to take closer look at Flock cameras amid privacy concerns
The Oviedo Police Department presented information on how the cameras are used and regulated, including weekly audits, training for authorized users, and restrictions on their use to specific types of investigations.
The city council decided to invite a representative from Flock to an upcoming work session to address these concerns. A resolution to discontinue the use of the cameras will be considered at a subsequent council meeting on Sept. 10.
Chief Dale Coleman of the Oviedo Police Department spoke with WESH 2 News after those decisions were made.
“A little bit of a concern, but I think we could have done a better job of explaining what Flock actually does with the data and how the data is used and what Flock is looking at doing in the future,” Coleman said. “But I think we’ll get those answers taken care of at the work session.”