‘I’m speechless’: Police used fake Flock camera to capture suspected vandal, Oviedo mayor saysOVIEDO, Fla. —On Friday, the mayor of Oviedo posted on social media that she had no idea her city’s police department had used a fake Flock camera. “I am speechless,” Mayor Megan Sladek said on Facebook. “I spoke with the city manager and he confirmed that the City of Oviedo Police Department did, in fact, place a fake Flock camera and then closely monitor it until someone came and cut it off.” Flock cameras have become controversial, and some cities are working to ban them after community outrage. “I don’t know who paid for the decoy. As soon as I know more, I will share it with you. Transparency is very important. #LoveOviedo,” he said. An arrest report says the fake camera was used in an attempt to catch people trying to vandalize them. A 24-year-old Oviedo man faces charges after allegedly using pruning shears to break the fake flock camera. Police Chief Dale Coleman clarified that the damaged device was not a real camera. “One of our officers has a 3D printer and figured out a way to print a camera that looks remarkably similar to an LPR camera,” Coleman said. The chief explained that the fake camera was made after two of the city’s eight cameras were stolen or vandalized. He said the decoy camera cost the city nothing. An arrest report for Evan Meyer says he faces multiple charges after the alleged vandalism. Including grand theft of property valued between $750 and $5,000 and criminal mischief for damaging property valued at $1,000 or more. The report says Meyer told officers he believed the camera was worth between $1,000 and $5,000 to replace. He says the actual cost is around $800. Coleman said he did not believe monitoring the fake camera would result in overtime costs. “They just rearranged some schedules,” he said. Mayor Sladek emphasized Friday night that the problems with flock cameras do not justify damaging public property. “There are two completely different issues,” Sladek said. When asked about his stance on the upcoming city council vote in September regarding the future of the cameras, Sladek said, “First of all, I didn’t vote to install the flock cameras. There hasn’t been much evidence that it has increased my comfort level with them, so I’m not willing to change my vote.” Despite the controversy, Coleman continues to support the cameras. “We’re trying to be good stewards of what people trust us with, but we know that benefits us when it comes to solving crimes,” he said. This content is imported from Facebook. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their website. Recent rejection Oviedo residents attended a city council meeting Monday night to discuss the city’s use of eight Flock license plate reading cameras. Many of them rejected the cameras. “These cameras should not be allowed throughout our beloved city,” one resident said during the public comment session. Another resident added: “I would like the council to make it impossible for Oviedo police to abuse the system by not having it here.” At least one resident supported the cameras, saying, “Keep the Flock cameras. I want security.” audits, training for authorized users, and restrictions on its use for specific types of investigations. The city council decided to invite a Flock representative to an upcoming work session to address these concerns. A resolution to suspend use of the cameras will be considered at a later council meeting on Sept. 10. Chief Dale Coleman of the Oviedo Police Department spoke with WESH 2 News after those decisions were made. “It’s a little concerning, but I think we could have done a better job of explaining what Flock actually does with the data and how the data is used and what Flock plans to do in the future,” Coleman said. “But I think we’ll address those answers in the work session.”
