Re “San Diego moves closer to turning off Flock cameras” (Oct. 22): As a longtime resident of San Diego and retired first responder, I read with dismay the support of some council members for ending Flock camera use. The position of opponents suggesting Flock is infringing on privacy astounds me.
Law enforcement and the district attorney can cite dozens of felony suspects found and many crimes solved with the use of Flock cameras. Local protesters cannot cite any cases of Flock cameras harming their personal lives.
Indeed, homes, businesses and vehicles already have cameras recording their presence. If people are concerned about misuse, address the management and control of the cameras, not have a total shutdown.
Ending Flock cameras will increase danger to everyone and curtail one of the best crime-fighting tools that protect us all. If the City Council votes to end their use, remember you can vote for new council members who have citizen safety as a priority, and who don’t support “Chicken Little” fears.
— Richard Bennett, Escondido
Here’s an idea: Instead of taking down the cameras, which every law enforcement agency in the nation says are a tremendous asset for finding abducted children, quickly identifying murder suspects and other felons, and speeding the return of stolen property, let’s pass laws with stiff penalties for the 1% of officers who abuse them.
Why would we penalize the 99% of the population that benefits from this technology and not the 1% of bad apples that abuse it? Let’s make the illegal use of Flock come with a minimum 10-year prison sentence, loss of job and retirement benefits, and a minimum $100,000 fine. I would bet a few of the bad apples may think twice about using it to follow a girlfriend or ex-spouse.
— Gary Boone, Pauma Valley