A screenshot of an internal search audit after Flock Safety redacted most information used by the public to know how the technology is being used by police. Flock network audits used to include information like officer initials, case numbers and license plates.
PROVIDED BY THE VERO BEACH POLIC
USA TODAY Network, Reuters
St. Lucie County officials still do not know who installed most of the 14 unpermitted Flock Safety license plate readers found in county rights-of-way.
The cameras were discovered as the county prepared to pull automated license plate readers off its roads. Three of the 14 belong to the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office, County Commissioner Cathy Townsend told TCPalm.
No one has publicly claimed the rest.
The devices were spread throughout the county, with one located on Port St. Lucie’s right-of-way, not the county’s, officials said. Once the cameras come down, they will be held in the evidence building at the Sheriff’s Office until their owners pick them up, officials said.
Florida transportation officials on Aug. 31 ordered the removal of automated license plate readers from state highways, citing privacy concerns and reports of misuse.
“Staff is still working through the process of identifying what agency installed the unpermitted cameras in county right-of-way,” county spokesperson Erick Gill told TCPalm.
Staff began talking with a Flock representative about the devices this week, he said.
The county sent its first removal notices Sept. 16, with Oct. 16 the as the removal deadline, Gill said. Subsequent notices have deadlines as late as Oct. 20.
“Once the deadline has passed, staff will be working to safely remove the cameras and/or add coverings so that they are unable to capture video,” he said.
How many Flock cameras are in St. Lucie County?
It remains unclear whether the unclaimed cameras are still collecting data or who has access to it.
The county believed it had 52 Flock cameras on its main roads before finding the additional 14. Both the Fort Pierce and Port St. Lucie police departments have said none of the unpermitted cameras are theirs.
Flock Safety says it applies for permits where they are required, that requirements differ by jurisdiction and that it had contacted St. Lucie County to review the cameras in question.
“The company is working to remove cameras from a number of jurisdictions around the state as the governor has ordered them to be removed from FDOT rights-of-way,” Gill said.
The Florida Department of Transportation revoked existing approvals for automated license plate recognition systems installed by local agencies along roads in the state highway system. Flock operates one of the nation’s largest license plate reader networks, though several other companies also provide the technology.
Treasure Coast cops investigated, arrested on charges of Flock misuse
Twenty-six law enforcement officials have been placed on leave, fired or arrested as the result of of a TCPalm-USA TODAY joint investigation published in August.
Four of those were in Florida.
After a TCPalm inquiry, former Sarasota Police Officer Cory Waiters was fired, arrested and charged with tracking an ex-girlfriend’s car at least 335 times over two months.
Another TCPalm inquiry led to the arrest of former Fort Pierce Police Officer Josepher Crutchfield, who was charged with using Flock cameras to stalk his ex-girlfriend.
Crutchfield was previously suspended for two days in 2022 for inappropriate sexual comments and other behavior, according to an internal investigation. That included sniffing hair, touching the back of necks, tickling hands, caressing arms, showing videos of animals having sex and twisting an officer’s engagement ring while petting her hand, according to the report.
He continued a Fort Pierce officer until his resignation in September, during the Flock investigation.
A week after Crutchfield’s resignation, the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office told TCPalm it had placed Sgt. John Finnegan on paid administrative leave as it investigated his Flock use.
Four days later, the Vero Beach Police Department announced it had placed Officer Chayse Allen Hatfield on administrative leave. Officials there said he searched for a vehicle connected to his household 107 times.
“The Vero Beach Police Department was recently contacted by a news organization regarding allegations involving the potential misuse of the Flock Safety system by a department member,” the Police Department announced on Facebook, one day after TCPalm reached out about Hatfield’s Flock use. “The department takes these allegations seriously and has initiated a formal investigation into the matter.”
Jack Lemnus is a TCPalm enterprise reporter. Contact him at jack.lemnus@tcpalm.com, 772-409-1345, or follow him on X @JackLemnus.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Florida county finds 14 unpermitted Flock cameras, most go unclaimed
Reporting by Jack Lemnus, Treasure Coast Newspapers / Treasure Coast Newspapers
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
A bag covers a Flock camera in Tempe. Provided by the City of Tempe USA TODAY Network, Reuters
Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect
This story was originally published October 2, 2026 at 3:47 PM.