FLOCK SHOCK: Cops Bust Man in Camera Attack

A Huntington Station man was arrested August 14th for allegedly damaging a Flock Safety camera in Hauppauge, as the license plate-reading technology draws growing scrutiny in Suffolk County and across the country.

Suffolk County police said Russell Clough, 48, was arrested at his Old Country Road home following an investigation by Property Auto Crime Section detectives. Police said Fourth Precinct officers responded July 23 after a 911 caller reported that a camera appeared to have been spray-painted.

Clough was charged with third-degree criminal mischief and issued a desk appearance ticket. He is scheduled to be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip at a later date.

The incident comes amid a national debate over Flock Safety, an Atlanta-based company whose automated license plate readers have become widely used by law enforcement agencies.

The cameras photograph passing vehicles and record information including license plate numbers, vehicle characteristics, location and time. Police can search that information during investigations or receive alerts when cameras detect vehicles connected to wanted persons, stolen cars or other cases.

Supporters say the cameras give police a powerful tool for locating stolen vehicles, finding suspects and solving serious crimes. Critics argue that collecting information on large numbers of motorists who are not suspected of crimes creates a far-reaching surveillance system, particularly when data can be searched or shared among agencies.

Those concerns have intensified over questions about access by federal immigration authorities and reports of improper searches by law enforcement users. More than 50 jurisdictions have ended their relationships with Flock, while the Los Angeles Police Department recently stopped using the company's cameras over privacy and civil liberties concerns.

The debate has reached Suffolk County as well. In Southold, residents this year urged town officials to remove Flock cameras, citing concerns about privacy, data storage and oversight.

Southold Police Chief Steve Grattan has defended the devices as an investigative tool, saying they capture still images and limited vehicle information rather than facial recognition or live video.

Flock recently announced changes intended to address the national backlash, including reducing its default data-retention period from 30 days to seven days and requiring additional auditing and case information for law enforcement searches.

The Hauppauge case also follows other acts of vandalism targeting Flock equipment around the country as opposition to the technology has grown.

Police are asking anyone with information about the Hauppauge incident to contact the Property Auto Crime Section at 631-852-6429.