In Irmo, South Carolina, two Flock Safety cameras were coated with foam sealant after town leaders approved a major expansion of the town's automated license plate reader network.
Here's what to know
As WIS News 10 reported, Irmo currently has 11 automated license plate readers already operating, and town leaders recently approved a $400,000 agreement with Flock to install 22 more.
Lenah Allen, an investigative reporter with WIS-TV shared images of the Flock cameras coated with the foam on Facebook. This foam-sealant damage leaves the town seeking to replace two of the cameras it already has.
WIS News 10 also reported that people critiqued the expansion at a public hearing, where the dispute became heated enough that one attendee was removed. Yet, even with that opposition, Irmo's Town Council approved the added cameras in a 4-1 vote.
Irmo now plans to fund the expanded camera system through its general fund, meaning public money will help pay for the surveillance network.
The situation in Irmo reflects concerns many communities have about automated license plate readers, or ALPRs, which capture and store images of vehicles and license plates.
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Civil liberties advocates and some community members have warned that these systems are being misused by law enforcement and can wrongly link innocent people to crimes.
More background
Gizmodo has reported similar attacks on Flock equipment have been seen elsewhere, including cases where people sprayed paint on lenses, knocked cameras down, or blocked what the devices could see.
Flock has said the criticism its cameras are facing across the U.S. is already leading it to adjust some practices.
The company also announced plans to shorten the default period for keeping vehicle images and to change the way officers search for cars in its system after dozens of incidents in which police used the cameras to stalk people.
Yet, company policy changes are only one part of the response needed. DeFlock also noted that Flock's claims that the cameras reduce crime are inconclusive at best, and the cameras themselves can create more racist policing practices.
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