All of Winona Police Department's Flock cameras cut down and stolen

WINONA, Minn. - The entire set of eight Flock license plate reader cameras operated by the Winona Police Department have been cut down and stolen in what police suspect was a coordinated theft, according to the Valley News Live. All the cameras were taken away on August 1 and the officers only noticed their absence after 24 hours.

The cameras were found to have been cut from their poles at key highway entry and exit points in the city, and the poles were left behind. Two more Flock cameras belonging to Buffalo County, which are located on the Mississippi River Bridge, were also stolen in the same manner. Each Flock camera costs around $3,000, making the total loss about $24,000.

This expense is entirely borne by the Winona Police Department's budget. The cameras, which are automated license plate readers, capture images of plates along with the make, model, and color of vehicles. Police utilize this technology to investigate crimes such as hit-and-runs and to locate missing persons. The data collected by these cameras belongs to the police department and is permanently deleted after 30 days.

These thefts are part of a nationwide trend where Flock cameras have been vandalized and cut down in various communities. Civil liberties advocates have criticized the technology, claiming it expands government surveillance and raises concerns about data sharing with third-party companies or federal agencies. No suspects have been identified yet and the investigation is still ongoing.

Any information leading to the recovery of the stolen cameras is requested to be reported to the Winona Police Department.