Flock cameras being vandalize in Westfield

Flop cameras are popping up in communities statewide, but so is opposition to this technology. Critics raise privacy concerns. Some cameras in Westfield were vandalized and knocked to the ground. News 12's Chris Keating shows us what's fueling this backlash. Flop cameras posted on polls are popping up in quiet neighborhoods like the camera at Sycamore and Columbus in Westfield. It's recording a car's registration, the owner's name and location. This one stands tall, but just a few blocks away, the camera on Massachusetts Street was vandalized and taken away, leaving a hole in the ground. Police say a 20-year-old from Cranford was arrested and charged. This type of vandalism is on the rise. As people argue, they're an intrusive form of surveillance. Police are relying on these cameras as a tool to track criminals, especially when it comes to stolen cars. But right now, there's a nationwide surge of people against these cameras, and that CEO, Garrett Langley, is promising changes that'll include only holding data for seven days rather than 30. Also, police will now need to use a case code naming an offense to search the database so that officers can't randomly stalk or harass someone. But some don't think it'll help. It's like, you know, patching a hole in a ship that already sunk. It's not going to do it. Charlie Degliamini is the owner of Recore Systems. He provides traffic cameras to help first responders without keeping an open database. Unless it's on the FBI's wanted vehicle list, and that's something that's published on a daily basis, that there should be no searchable data unless there's a warrant provided. He fears Flock has too much information about people who haven't done anything wrong while creating a national database. In Westfield, I'm Chris Keating, News 12 New Jersey.