ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — If you’re driving around Pinellas County and several other counties in the area, there’s a chance you’ve spotted one of those Flock cameras or one has spotted you in your vehicle’s license plate.
It’s something law enforcement officials refer to as a tool, but a local man says it’s more like an invasion of privacy, so he’s protesting to have them removed.
For years, local law enforcement has maintained these Flock cameras are only used to scan license plates and that privacy shouldn’t be expected on a public road. Still, Carl Gunn wants them gone, as he sits in a chair to protest these cameras.
“I’m gonna be out here on Saturday protesting this camera system,” Gunn said.
Gunn first started his protest a few weeks ago in front of different Flock cameras. Since then, things have taken off. With all the attention, he’s hoping his message is getting across.
A sign that Carl Gunn has used to protest flock cameras. (Spectrum News/Saundra Weathers)
“I don’t like it because we’re being tracked, and if we’re gonna track us, that’s against our constitutional rights,” Gunn said. “And I have a right to move about this country free without somebody looking over my shoulder.”
Gunn is concerned about privacy.
“I basically sit in a nice comfortable chair, and I have a 14-foot pole that I can raise up and put in front of the camera. It has ‘down with flock cameras’ written on it so that’s what the Flock camera sees,” he said.
A map shows that dozens of Flock cameras exist all over the city and county. Spectrum News asked St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch about the cameras and concerns.
“What I can tell you is that we used technology to keep the community safe. I saw that live as we were trying to catch a murderer in our city. So, let’s get all the facts on the table and see what the concerns are and if there are any gaps we need to address,” Welch said.
For Gunn, his message to those making decisions on the cameras is clear.
“I want these cameras off,” he said.
It’s a request the mayor says is new to his office. But it’s a request Gunn said he’ll continue to make in a very public way.
Spectrum News reached out to the company that makes Flock cameras and didn’t heard back.
When asked to comment about the advantages of the cameras and privacy concerns, the St. Pete Police Department and the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office declined to comment.