'Great investigative tool:' Livingston County Sheriff removes Flock cameras after vandalism

LIVINGSTON COUNTY, Mich. (FOX 2) - As concerns over Flock cameras continue to grow, one Michigan county has made the decision to remove them after several of their cameras were vandalized.

Big picture view:

Six Flock cameras were damaged here in Livingston County, costing about $5,000. The sheriff temporarily removed about 25 of them. Although it’s welcomed news to those who are against the cameras, this decision is not permanent.

Metro Detroit residents respond to Flock concerns

Local perspective:

"I do not like them. I don’t like people peeping in my private life, period. I don’t care who they are or what the purpose is. My life is my business, period," said Sue Swartz.

"I think it’s good because then they get to get the criminals a lot better with the ID and stuff," said Ryan Payne.

"It seems like they’re definitely against them and you can’t blame them. They don’t need them to know everything. We do deserve some privacy too," said Gayle Quick.

The sheriff, though, was not happy about the damaged cameras. Some were cut from their brackets, others beaten up and smashed in. Although he understands the public’s concern, he says these cameras have helped solve serious crimes.

"We are tasked with keeping the public safe. We are tasked with doing investigations, but yet they don’t want to give us the tools, some folks, not everybody, don’t want to give us the tools that we can use to do it, and this has been a great investigative tool," said Livingston County Sheriff Michael Murphy. "We will be putting them back up. It was just a temporary pause. We’re looking at the locations, what we can do to make those more vandalism-proof, if you will, and what makes sense in that arena."

What's next:

The sheriff emphasizing the purpose of the Flock cameras is to solve crimes, not spy on and track civilians. He’s hoping to catch whoever is responsible for vandalizing the cameras and "make an example out of them."

What is a Flock camera?

Dig deeper:

Flock cameras are described as automated license plate readers owned by Flock Safety. 

They use AI to read and record license plates and vehicle details. Though they appear on Metro Detroit roads, some also can be seen in parks and trails where vehicles don't normally go.

They are not hard to spot as you drive down roads like Woodward, Telegraph, or even a small side street. They normally sit on black or gray poles with a camera strapped to the side. A big giveaway is the small solar panel at the very top.

Some residents in Metro Detroit say they're an effective law enforcement tool. However, others say they're too invasive. 

‘DeFlock’ and the response to the Flock push

Anti-Flock Groups:

The expansion of Flock has led to groups, like ‘DeFlock’ spreading details about the location of thousands of cameras. 

It comes as many communities have begun to reject the company from installing Flock cameras in their cities. 

Livingston County