CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania State Police are investigating after a Flock automated license plate reader camera was cut down in Franklin County.
Troopers responded to the Molly Pitcher Highway/Frank Road area at 7:49 a.m. Aug. 3 on a report of criminal mischief, according to a state police statement. An investigation determined the Flock camera had been cut down sometime between the night of Aug. 2 and the morning of Aug. 3. The suspects fled in an unknown direction, and their number was not immediately known, state police said.
The damaged camera is valued at $3,000, state police said. Troopers are asking anyone with information to contact PSP Chambersburg at 717-264-5161. The incident remains under investigation.
Flock cameras are automated license plate readers that have been installed in a growing number of communities nationwide, including several in central Pennsylvania. The company says the devices capture license plates and vehicle characteristics to help law enforcement identify stolen cars, wanted individuals and missing persons, while not recording faces or biometric data.
The technology has drawn scrutiny in some areas, with privacy advocates raising concerns about mass data collection and surveillance. Ninety cities across the U.S. have rejected or canceled contracts for the cameras, according to reporting on the debate surrounding their use. In Franklin County, the cameras have become a flashpoint, with multiple units vandalized in recent weeks and a protest planned for Aug. 8 in Chambersburg.
Franklin County Sheriff’s Office officials have said the county uses the cameras primarily for fugitive apprehension and to track vehicles connected to crimes, wanted subjects and missing persons. In the past year, county officials said the cameras helped locate stolen vehicles, wanted individuals and endangered persons, and aided in homicide investigations.
