2 accused in southern Utah of Flock camera vandalism

KANARAVILLE, Iron County — Two men were arrested in Iron County early Monday and accused of cutting down a Flock camera.

The men "admitted to purposefully cutting, knocking down and damaging the Flock Automated License Plate Reader camera system," and one man claimed he "got the idea after watching 'de-flock America' videos on social media," according to a police booking affidavit.

The men, ages 18 and 19, were each booked into the Iron County Jail for investigation of criminal mischief and obstruction of justice.

The investigation began late Sunday when Iron County sheriff's deputies were called to 410 S. Main Street in Kanarraville.

"It was reported that an unknown party was seen cutting down the Flock (license plate reader) at that address. A witness described hearing a Sawzall and watching as the unknown subjects smashed the camera and then ran," the affidavit states.

Deputies found the camera "which was cut off at the base and laying in the dirt near its normal location," and noted that the solar panel powering the Flock camera was also damaged, according to the affidavit. "The (license plate reader) had been struck multiple times, by what appeared to be a large hammer. The wires running from the post to the ALPR had also been cut with a saw, similar to the base."

As deputies were investigating the vandalism, Cedar City police pulled over a vehicle for speeding and found a "sledge hammer and Sawzall blade on the rear floorboard," the affidavit states. "The Sawzall was wrapped in a black plastic trash bag which was later confirmed to have been done to hide it. Multiple black trash bags were also removed (from the vehicle) which were later stated to have been used as ponchos to conceal them during the crime."

Police say both men admitted to cutting down the Flock camera.

During his monthly news conference on Thursday, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox has ordered two state entities to conduct a review of the cameras and ensure they are not being misused. Cox's order comes amid heightened scrutiny of the devices.

Cox said he was "deeply troubled" by concerns raised by Utah Civic Compact about the frequency with which 10 such cameras owned by Weber County were accessed over several years.

There are now hundreds of Flock cameras along the Wasatch Front and other parts of the state. Police tout them as effective in finding suspect vehicles and investigating crimes. But opponents say they lead to government surveillance and an invasion of privacy. Many of the automatic license plate reader cameras are owned by a company called Flock Safety.

The arrests in southern Utah are the latest one what has been described as a "surge" in Flock camera vandalism nationwide.

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