KNOCK THE FLOCK: Yakima Flock Cameras Being Cut Down

3 Flock cameras have been taken down by civilians in Yakima during the last month and a half. 2 cameras were removed from one site alone!

At the corner of 66th and Englewood Avenue, a Flock camera was taken down and replaced, only for its replacement to be taken down as well. The other camera was removed on Summitview Avenue between 94th and 96th Avenue.

Political Divides

Flock cameras are another in a long string of modern political issues that aren’t dividing people along party lines. A sizable amount of both Republicans and Democrats oppose the measure as a matter of personal privacy.

The prospect of the government being able to track your car using AI license plate data is disconcerting to a wide group of the population. Police are on high alert as online posts are encouraging people to destroy their local Flock cameras on Oct. 31, which is being called “De-Flock Day.”

Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images

Police Response

Yakima Police Chief Sean Boyle is upset with the recent vandalism and has urged folks upset with the program to peacefully protest instead of resorting to criminal activity. He made it clear that YPD has a tight budget and spending $2,000 repairing the cameras redirects resources away from other necessary areas of policing.

READ MORE: COUGAR SIGHTING PROMPTS YAKIMA POLICE ALERT AND DRONE INSULTS

He also said YPD is short-staffed and the cameras help tremendously with law enforcement efforts. Flock Safety is reportedly creating a new system that could potentially detect vibrations on a camera and send an immediate alert to law enforcement if the camera is being tampered with.