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Lawsuit alleges Flock cameras violate Californians' privacy
A class action lawsuit alleges that Flock's license plate reading cameras are breaking the law and violating Californians' privacy by sharing their information with out-of-state law enforcement agencies. The Oakland-based group that filed the lawsuit alleges that out-of-state agencies searched the San Francisco database more than 1.6 million times in a seven-month period.
A Central Coast man is accused of intentionally tearing down Flock license plate cameras, causing thousands of dollars in damage, authorities said.
Suspect traveled 150 miles
What we know:
Marcus Bee, 40, of Pismo Beach, traveled about 150 miles to Monterey County, where investigators said he vandalized at least three Flock Safety automated license plate readers.
The Monterey County Sheriff's Office said Bee intentionally pulled down the cameras, resulting in thousands of dollars in damage.
Surveillance video led to arrest
Dig deeper:
Authorities said Bee's actions were captured by nearby surveillance cameras, providing crucial evidence that helped detectives identify him as the suspect.
"Any attempts to disable these systems will not prevent us from doing our job. In this case, the suspect's own actions were captured on surveillance cameras, leading directly to his arrest," Sheriff Tina Nieto said in a statement.
Cameras help solve crimes
Big picture view:
The sheriff's office said Flock cameras are used by law enforcement agencies to investigate crimes, recover stolen vehicles, locate missing people and identify suspect vehicles linked to cases ranging from property crimes to shootings and homicides.
Arrest and charges
Bee was arrested and booked into the Monterey County Jail on suspicion of felony vandalism. Bail was set at $30,000, according to the sheriff's office.
The Source: This story was written based on information from the Monterey County Sheriff's Office.