{"id":387457,"date":"2026-09-01T19:26:11","date_gmt":"2026-09-01T19:26:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/387457\/"},"modified":"2026-09-01T19:26:11","modified_gmt":"2026-09-01T19:26:11","slug":"proven-to-help-jacksonville-mom-believes-flock-cameras-could-have-solved-sons-2017-murder-she-still-has-no-answers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/387457\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Proven to help\u2019: Jacksonville mom believes Flock cameras could have solved son\u2019s 2017 murder. She still has no answers"},"content":{"rendered":"

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2013 A Jacksonville mother is speaking out after multiple Northeast Florida law enforcement agencies were forced to end<\/a> their use of license plate readers following a state mandate. She says the decision could cost lives.<\/p>\n

The Florida Department of Transportation revoked permits and licenses allowing law enforcement agencies to use LPRs on state roads, citing an exponential increase in Flock cameras, public outcry and misuse. The cameras are expected to be removed within 30 days.<\/p>\n

A mother\u2019s plea<\/p>\n

Latasha Hobbs says if LPRs had been in place years ago, whoever is responsible for killing her son might have been found.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m really disappointed, and it happened so quickly,\u201d Hobbs said. \u201cI\u2019m really hoping that this is not a permanent decision.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hobbs\u2019 son Maurice, an up-and-coming rapper, was murdered in 2017 just days after his 18th birthday. The case remains unsolved. <\/p>\n

Latasha Hobbs believes a Flock camera could have been used in the investigation to provide her family with closure.<\/p>\n

RELATED: DeSantis says Florida must avoid becoming a \u2018digital AI surveillance state\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cUnfortunately, the cameras were not up during the time that tragedy knocked at my front door,\u201d Hobbs said. \u201cBut they were here and look at the results \u2014 because of the cameras, 15 murders, over 100 shootings, 172 people were found and returned home safely. That means something. Those are human beings.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hobbs says she understands privacy concerns but will continue to advocate for Flock cameras.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor anyone abusing this technology \u2014 stiff penalties, prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law, put in safeguards, educate the constituents, the citizens of Florida, and let\u2019s move forward,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s been proven to help. It helps solve crimes. It\u2019s important.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m hoping that once stronger safeguards are in place, there\u2019s the possibility that the cameras will be put back up,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

Community divided<\/p>\n

According to the Jacksonville Sheriff\u2019s Office, the cameras have helped with cases involving murders and kidnappings, but not everyone supports their use.<\/p>\n

Jim Cash, a former CDL driver, says the cameras belong on the road, but with caution.<\/p>\n

RELATED: County-by-county responses to state\u2019s directive on license plate readers<\/a> | What\u2019s next as Northeast Florida law enforcement agencies shut down use of license plate readers?<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI think that\u2019s where they should be,\u201d Cash said. \u201cI\u2019m a former CDL driver and the interstates are a blessing, but like anything else, there\u2019s people who will abuse it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Driver Deven Merritt sees it differently.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey already sit at every little stoplight and every little corner off the road anyway to try to catch us with anything \u2014 that\u2019s happening five miles over the speed limit,\u201d Merritt said. \u201cSo without the cameras, you know, it\u2019s just invading our personal space.\u201d<\/p>\n

What\u2019s next<\/p>\n

Jacksonville City Council member Jimmy Peluso, who recently held a community meeting to address Flock concerns, says even after the FDOT directive, he still wants safeguards in place for future surveillance technology and is looking into possible legislation.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2013 A Jacksonville mother is speaking out after multiple Northeast Florida law enforcement agencies were forced…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":387458,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[502,46978,116,118,117,26268,99],"class_list":["post-387457","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-jacksonville","tag-community","tag-flock-cameras","tag-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville-headlines","tag-jacksonville-news","tag-license-plate-readers","tag-politics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/387457","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=387457"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/387457\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/387458"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=387457"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=387457"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=387457"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}