In context: Remember the recent bizarre case of a man charged with three felonies for destroying a Flock surveillance camera, despite it being a fake decoy? It seems Florida police have had an attack of common sense and reduced the charges to misdemeanors.
It was reported in late August that Evan Meyer, 24, was being charged with counts of criminal mischief causing more than $1,000 in damage, grand theft involving property valued between $750 and $5,000, and damaging or taking a computer, electronic device, or related equipment. All felonies.
Meyer believed he was destroying a Flock camera, a crime that has become increasingly common as anger toward the company intensifies. But in reality, he was destroying a 3D-printed decoy.
To say those charges seemed excessive is an understatement. For a start, a real Flock camera costs only around $800, not including installation fees, so a 3D-printed shell is obviously going to be valued much lower.
However, 404Media reports that Meyer's charges were drastically reduced in a filing by an assistant state attorney this week. The felonies have been reduced to two second-degree misdemeanor charges.
The filing reveals that the damage to the camera, which he allegedly inflicted with garden shears after knocking it off a pole, came to $200 or less. He has also been charged with petty theft involving property worth less than $750.
The sting operation was prompted by several of Oviedo's cameras disappearing. The police department's solution was to 3D-print the shells, attach them to poles around the city, and then get officers to monitor the poles for multiple nights.
Lessening the severity of the charges isn't too surprising when even the mayor, who was unaware of the decoy operation before the arrest, admitted that they were controversial.
There's little doubt that most people have supported Meyer, as Flock has been behind a slew of negative headlines this year.
Those reports have included officers allegedly using Flock cameras to stalk former partners, police justifying database searches with entries such as "LMAO" and "idk", and the company reinstalling cameras without permission after a California city canceled its contract and removed them.
With cities dropping Flock at a record pace, its reputation has become so toxic that police have even asked rival Axon to redesign its cameras so people stop mistaking them for Flock's. And let's not forget that it's not just license plate readers that are the problem: camera-equipped police drones are the company's fastest-growing business.
Man charged with three felonies for destroying a fake Flock camera now faces misdemeanors instead
