A 25-year-old Troy man was arrested for cutting down a Flock camera early Wednesday morning, Troy police announced.
The suspect, Vincent Harrington, was charged with criminal mischief and attempted criminal mischief before being released.
Police first responded to a report of an individual damaging a Flock automatic license plate reader near the intersection of 126th Street and 2nd Avenue at 1:30 a.m. Wednesday. Officers found Harrington with a saw in the immediate area and took him into custody.
Harrington’s arrest comes days after three other Flock cameras were felled in Troy on Thursday night. Those incidents are still under investigation, TPD spokesperson Mary Magnetto told WAMC.
Troy Mayor Carmella Mantello, who has supported keeping the cameras amid criticism from members of the public and the City Council, commended TPD for "their swift response and outstanding investigative work" in the case.
Flock ALPRs are an important public safety tool that help law enforcement investigate and solve crimes," Mantello said in a statement posted to her Facebook page. "Anyone who attempts to damage or disable this technology is not just vandalizing city property, they are attempting to undermine a tool that helps keep our neighborhoods safe."
Troy’s Flock cameras, which collect license plate and vehicle information of passing cars and compare it to other law enforcement databases, have been the subject of debate for months.
Out of concerns for residents’ privacy, the Democratic-majority City Council tried to prevent the city from renewing its contract with Flock by ordering the city auditor to withhold funding. Mantello then declared a state of emergency to keep the funding going.
Mantello and the City Council are now embroiled in a lawsuit over the emergency declaration, and the City Council is considering legislation that would change the mayor’s ability to declare public emergencies.
Councilmember Noreen McKee is proposing a law that would force police to delete Flock data after 48 hours and only allow Flock cameras to compare license plates against lists of vehicles linked to criminal investigations. McKee has argued that maintaining data for longer than 48 hours could allow Troy residents to be tracked.
The Troy Police Department is conducting an audit of how the cameras are used. DeWolf told WAMC that the audit found the cameras to be “very useful” as a deterrent and investigative aid. McKee told WAMC on Monday that she and other council members had not yet seen results from the audit.
The city first installed the cameras more than five years ago and now has 26 throughout the city in undisclosed locations. The cameras cost the city $78,000 per year.
