Isiah Factor: Uncensored Producer Finds Destroyed Flock Camera in Houston's Galleria

Welcome back to the Factor Uncensored. It isn't just happening in one part of Houston. Today, Factor producer Keyshawn Marshall stumbled across a destroyed flock camera right in the heart of the Galleria area. Tonight, as questions mount over privacy and high-tech surveillance, we catch up with Constable Alan Rosen to tackle the biggest concerns out there. We've already reported at least four downed cameras in the Third Ward area. Let's get to it. More than 100,000 flock cameras here in the United States, and many of them are under attack, just like this one vandalized on the loop here in Houston near the Galleria area. Cut down and also spray-painted over the lands, making sure it's no longer usable for those who are relying on it for fighting crime. Constable, we've seen a lot of flock cameras just knocked down right here in our community, the city of Houston, around the country. When you talk about the use of flock cameras, how much of a tool is it, a good tool for the community from your perspective? I think it's a great tool for law enforcement, and I think it really should be used just by law enforcement, but it needs appropriate guardrails. We have got to, I really get the public debate about this, I get the debate about privacy issues and things like that, and I really respect that because I'm a citizen as well as being a law enforcement official, but it does really help us solve crime, and you just got to have the appropriate safeguards in place to ensure that it's not misused. We go to airports, we go to shopping centers, we go to homes. Everybody's got cameras everywhere. There's no expectation of privacy out in the public, and it really does help us solve cameras. My policy is you only can use a flock camera in law enforcement is if you have an active criminal investigation that's open and you document its use, and you know, we just need to really have the public debate, which I always encourage, and then secondly, go into making sure that we have appropriate safeguards to make sure nobody misuses it. I think we have around 4,000 in Harris County, according to the last statistics, but your agency, your department, you guys don't own them. We do not own any. No, we have access to them, and again, we only use it for law enforcement investigative reasons. Uh, you know, I think that we have to have this debate, Isaiah. I think it's important to have this debate. Privacy is of utmost important to all of us. But as we all know, there's cameras everywhere. Every intersection has cameras. I mean, for flow, traffic flow patterns and things like that. So, you know, people just need to have the debate, give their concerns. I can tell you it has solved some major crimes. It has solved a U. S. Marshall Rosario County deputy that was was tragically murdered on Stella link this past year. That guy was found within about three or four hours. Galveston, Texas, because of a flock camera. If people have a child that has been kidnapped, they want us to find that child. Eso from our perspective, a doctor goes and gives you medicine for your illnesses. We have to use any and all tools that we can to help solve crimes for victims as well as balance privacy issues. So it's a it's a delicate balance and I get it and I respect it. I'm a citizen as well as a law enforcement guy. Obviously, we're seeing a lot of cameras knocked down, vandalized here in the city of Houston. But for you, that's H. P. D. S. Damn problem. Not your problem. But what do you recommend to people? If you see a camera down, should you call local law enforcement? And let them know that this camera has been disabled. Yes, you should. You should call law enforcement because it's a crime. If somebody vandalized that that camera, it's a crime. So I don't foresee law abiding citizens going around doing that. So it's probably a criminal element that doesn't want to be discovered is wanting to go out and commit crime. And they know that these cameras, but again, I want you to really keep this in mind. We have cameras everywhere. Isaiah, we have you walk your dog in front of a neighbor's house. They have a ring camera. We have cameras at this intersection. We have cameras at airports and shopping centers. Their cameras are everywhere, unfortunately, in some cases, unfortunately, and others. For us, this is a tool that really does help us solve crime and bring closure to many, many victims of crime. And that's what people should expect from us is to solve their crime and keep them safe. And are there any instances where communities can buy these cameras? And have you guys manned them for any possible evidence of crime in their community? Yes, I mean, there are private businesses that own them that have flock cameras on their businesses on DSO because they've had maybe a high crime, uh, problem in their business, you know, like a parking lot or something like that. So, yes, I mean, private businesses, but that goes to the putting guardrails on. We don't want an HOA president reviewing his neighbor's traveling activity. We don't want that. Well, you never know who the damn HOA, the HOA. We definitely don't want that. I mean, if we are investigating a criminal case where there's been a victim of a crime and it's a legitimate investigative law enforcement tool, I think it's appropriate. But again, if it's people that are misusing it, I know there's officers that have been fired because they they misuse the flock camera. And so there we have police care. We have police databases that are used all the time for investigative reasons. And if you misuse them, you will be terminated. You will be dealt with from a disciplinary capacity. So, um, you know, from my perspective, we need to have this conversation. We need to make sure that the appropriate safeguards are there. And but I also understand the importance of solving crime for everyday citizens.