Houston police investigation into attempted child kidnapping at park hindered by vandal who cut down Flock cameras: police

Police in Houston, Texas have revealed that the recent vandalism of Flock license plate cameras in the city has affected their ability to investigate an attempted child kidnapping that took place at a local school’s playground.

Houston Police Chief Noe Diaz said at a Thursday community meeting that the police department had received a report on Sunday about a man attempting to lure a third grader into his vehicle. The incident took place at Memorial Elementary’s SPARK Park, per the Houston Chronicle.

Police have been unable to identify the suspect or the car he was driving due to three Flock cameras being cut down in the area. Diaz said, “Unfortunately, some person that's not really cool with the license plate reader technology chose to cut the three down. We're kind of hindered by that, but we're still working on it.”

Diaz said that officers have canvassed the area as part of the investigation and contacted Houston ISD about the incident. He said that another thing hindering the investigation is that residents in the area have declined to share home security footage from the area. Police are asking anyone who may have seen a man driving a red sedan in the area of the park on Sunday to contact local authorities.

The vandalism comes as tensions have risen regarding Flock cameras both in the Houston area and nationwide. Critics have said that the cameras raise privacy concerns, while law enforcement officials say the cameras provide valuable evidence in investigations.

The cameras automatically photograph any cars passing through and record license plate information that police can later refer back to as part of investigations. A number of Flock cameras have been cut down in the Houston area in recent months.