2 Flock cameras 'intentionally cut down' in South Carolina town amid nationwide camera controversy

PAGELAND, S.C. (WBTV) - Two Flock Safety camera poles were
“intentionally cut down” in Pageland, police said this weekend, as
controversy over the cameras continues nationwide. 

On Sunday, July 5, the Pageland Police Department shared a photo of a
Flock camera pole on the ground. Pageland police said two Flock cameras
had been cut down in the Chesterfield County town, and called the act
“vandalism.” 

Police did not immediately say when or where exactly the cameras were
reportedly cut down. It appeared the cameras may have been knocked down
during the Fourth of July weekend. 

No other details were provided about the downed Flock cameras in
Pageland, as of early Monday, July 6. Police said they were asking the
public for help identifying those responsible for allegedly cutting the
cameras down. 

What are Flock cameras?
Flock cameras are AI-enabled surveillance cameras that are placed in
public spaces. 

The cameras are branded as license plate readers, and come from a
privately-owned company. They are sold to law enforcement agencies,
local governments, businesses and homeowners associations. 

Flock cameras have been popping up throughout the United States in
recent years, with tens of thousands of cameras believed to be in use in
the country. 

The recent wave of cameras has prompted support by law enforcement
agencies, as well as concern over the cameras’ purpose and use. 

privacy, oversight 

Law enforcement say the cameras promote safety, and have helped with
criminal investigations. Flock Safety, the company behind the cameras,
claims its technology helps solve 700,000 crimes per year. 

“These cameras are in place to help protect our community and provide
law enforcement with valuable investigative leads,” Pageland police said
in a social post after two cameras of their cameras were downed. 

The Flock license plate readers photograph every vehicle that passes a
camera, record where it was located and when, and stores that
information in a database for 30 days. Law enforcement can access that
database, are not not required to have a search warrant to review the
data. 

watching the watchers? 

In North Carolina, there are at least 32 agencies that use Flock cameras
or license plate readers, including Charlotte-Mecklenburg police. 

The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation recommended this year
that lawmakers support an increase in automated license plate readers on
state highways. 

Surveillance cameras spark concern among the public
People across the country have expressed concern about Flock cameras,
specifically the system’s ethics and constitutional implications. 

Some people argue the surveillance camera system is misused, and that
there currently isn’t enough oversight to regulate their use. 

Flock Safety says its cameras don’t track people, but the company’s own
training videos show police using the system to track suspects “from
location to location.” 

Some Flock cameras are designed to follow people as they walk, Atlanta
investigative reporter Brendan Keefe found. 

“And they quite literally use AI to zoom in and follow you around
whether you’re a person of interest or not,” said Benn Jordan, a
security researcher who found dozens of Flock cameras streaming openly
online. 

training videos say otherwise. 

Across the country, police officers have been arrested for using the
surveillance cameras to stalk former partners and love interests. Some
Flock cameras were also found to be streaming online without a password
needed to watch, at one point. 

While the cameras have been found to aid with criminal investigations
and arrests, some argue that the logging of data of regular people -- in
addition to suspected criminals -- is too large of a price to pay for
the system. 

DeFlockSC, a group pushing to keep Flock cameras out of South Carolina,
says, “99% of the plates they scan belong to people suspected of
nothing.” The group claims there are more than 240 Flock cameras active
in South Carolina. 

company after Super Bowl ad backlash 

https://www.wbtv.com/2026/07/06/2-flock-cameras-intentionally-cut-down-so
uth-carolina-town-amid-nationwide-camera-controversy/