County Removes Flock Cameras, Finds a Mystery

A funny thing happened when Florida's St. Lucie County began taking down controversial license-plate readers made by Flock. It discovered 11 cameras of uncertain origin, with officials unsure who put them up, whether they're live, or who might be accessing the data, reports the Washington Post. Here's how the math worked out: The county thought it had 52 cameras but discovered 66, per KCRG. After county officials shared a list, the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office claimed three of the unknown 14. But that still leaves the remaining 11.

The cameras are still in place, but the county posted notices on them telling the owners they had through mid-October to remove them. If that doesn't happen, the county will reach out to Flock to help get answers. The company, meanwhile, says it has contacted the county and is willing to review the disputed equipment. The mystery comes as Florida is backing away from the Atlanta-based company's technology over privacy and misuse concerns, including criminal cases against officers who used Flock data to track people in their personal lives.