The Douglas Police Department has deactivated and removed all of its Flock Safety license plate cameras, effective immediately, citing a divisive atmosphere that has grown around the technology. The decision comes just days after someone intentionally drove over one of the department’s cameras on Gilboa Street, destroying it, and amid a wave of Massachusetts towns severing ties with the surveillance company this month.
According to WHDH, police investigated the August 15 incident after finding the solar-powered camera’s mount shattered, with evidence indicating a vehicle had been driven directly over it. As reported by Boston 25 News, the Douglas Police Department said Flock cameras capture vehicle license plates and other identifying information, and that the system had helped officers solve several serious crimes, according to the department’s own statement. The department described the technology as an effective investigative tool but said it was ending the program regardless, pointing to the divisive atmosphere surrounding camera use as the reason.
A Wave of Camera Shutdowns Across the Commonwealth
Douglas is far from alone. Boston 25 News’s report notes that Flock camera technology has come under scrutiny statewide following allegations involving police misuse of the system, with officers in Stow, Lynn, and New Bedford all placed on leave amid allegations that the cameras were used improperly. The same report states that Grafton and East Bridgewater have also removed their Flock cameras in recent days.
In Grafton, Police Chief Neil A. Minardi announced on August 21 that the department was deactivating and removing all 12 of its Flock Safety cameras after only about a month of operation, according to the Shrewsbury Post. The cameras had only recently gone in during July, and the outlet reports that rising community privacy concerns drove the reversal. That same day, East Bridgewater Police Chief Michael Jenkins said his department would terminate its Flock Safety contract and remove its single camera following strong opposition voiced by residents at a packed Select Board meeting — even though, per the East Bridgewater Police Department, no internal officer misuse had been found there. Jenkins said maintaining public trust outweighed the investigative benefits of the system.
Misuse Allegations Fueling the Backlash
The scandals driving much of this pushback are serious. In Stow, Detective Jason Rogers was placed on unpaid leave on July 31 and faces potential termination and criminal charges after an internal investigation found he used state databases and Flock cameras multiple times in 2024 and 2025 to track an ex-partner who had fled an abusive relationship and changed her identity, according to Boston 25 News. The victim reportedly discovered the searches after running her own license plate through a public database logging site…