Flock Camera Removal Uncovers 14 Unpermitted Cameras in St. Lucie County

A mandate to remove all Flock cameras tracking cars on St. Lucie County roads led local police to uncover more than a dozen suspicious cameras operating without permits. Of the 14 cameras found, 11 had no obvious owners. The St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office claimed three of those cameras but refused to explain why they never obtained the required permits.

The discovery highlights concerns about unregulated surveillance equipment. The sheriff's office has not commented on the lack of permits for the three cameras it claimed.

In Fort Pierce, officer Josepher Crutchfield accessed a Flock database 382 times while stalking an ex-girlfriend, as noted by The Washington Post. Another cop, Christopher Goodson, reportedly nearly doubled that number of searches while looking for his estranged wife.

Two Pinellas County cops were arrested for invasive Flock tracking: Travis Stanton was found searching a minor and Karl Gwynne was stalking a woman he wanted to date. Across the US, The Washington Post has found at least 50 cases of similar police misuse.

Flock has claimed that it has added safeguards to prevent police misuse of its databases, but experts warn they're ineffective.