Communities have increasingly been cutting ties with Flock Safety, the makers of cameras with automated license plate readers that have been abused by law enforcement and falsely associated innocent people with crimes. And when the government won’t do something about it, citizens will. The latest example of this comes from Irmo, South Carolina, where local news station WIS News 10 reported that Flock cameras got spray-coated with foam sealant.
Irmo, population 12,204, reportedly has 11 ALPRs installed throughout the town, with more to come. Last month, Irmo’s Town Council voted to approve a $400,000 contract with Flock to add 22 mor —and, just for clarity, that is Irmo agreeing to pay Flock, pulling money from the town’s general funds to pony up for the new cameras.
The town, to its credit, tried to stop them. People showed up to the public hearing and expressed their displeasure. Per WIS News 10, one person had to be removed from the hearing after things got a little too heated. But the council went ahead and voted in favor of adding the cameras, which have not yet been installed, by a vote of four in favor to one opposed…