More than a dozen Flock cameras vandalized in Evansville, police say

Our Take

14 News out of the Tri-State is reporting that more than a dozen Flock Safety cameras around Evansville have been smashed, spray-painted, or outright torn down, with police scrambling to figure out who's behind it. Credit to their newsroom for tracking the scope of this — a dozen-plus units is not a prank, it's a pattern, and it says something about how residents actually feel about being catalogued every time they drive to the grocery store.

Departments love to frame this as simple vandalism and property crime, full stop. But when the "property" in question is a camera network quietly logging the travel habits of every driver in town, with no warrant and often no public vote, the vandalism conversation can't be separated from the consent conversation. Evansville residents were never meaningfully asked if they wanted a grid of license plate readers watching their neighborhoods; plenty are now answering with a crowbar instead of a ballot, which should worry city leaders more than it worries the vandals.

We don't endorse destroying equipment, but we do think it's worth asking why so many communities feel like sabotage is the only lever they have left. If Evansville has Flock cameras near you, check our map to see where they're installed, and if you'd rather push for accountability through city council than a crowbar, our take-action page has tools for that fight instead.