Residents vandalize Flock cameras in Troy, NY after city council votes to remove them and mayor demands they stay up

Three newly installed Flock license plate readers were torn down overnight in Troy, New York, the latest and most aggressive act in what the mayor called a “disturbing” and escalating pattern of vandalism. This comes after the mayor demanded that the cameras stay up despite the city council voting against it. 

"City License Plate Readers (LPRs) damaged last night," said Mayor Carmella Mantello of the city of roughly 50,000, on Facebook. "This is a disturbing pattern which started out with graffiti on city property and vehicles and businesses, then panhandling signs, and now has grown to tearing down the LPRs. This is violent and unhinged behavior and is escalating into a very disturbing pattern. We will not tolerate this violence.

The vandalism comes after Mantello overturned a vote from the Troy City Council that sought to end the city's contract with the Flock cameras. She declared a state of public emergency, allowing for the cameras to remain up, per Police1.

After the City council sued the mayor, alleging that she overstepped her authority, city officials established a 60-day working period to update policies.

DeFlock Troy, a grassroots, community-based advocacy group opposing the installation of Flock cameras, has pushed for additional restrictions on the data collected by the cameras. Deidre Shea, who serves as a spokesperson and organizer for the group, said they do not support vandalism in comments to NBC 13.

"There's been a nationwide concern about Flock cameras. Some people feel like they need to take matters into their own hands when their government is not," Shea said. "Um, it's unfortunate."

"And right now this technology is totally unrestricted and can be used without a warrant. Do you want somebody to be following you around town without a warrant? You want there to be probable cause. You want there to be due process. And there aren't any rules around that right now," Shea said.

This is hardly the first time Flock cameras have been the target of national scrutiny or vandalism. In Suffolk, Virginia, Jeffrey Sovern, a 41-year-old U.S. Air Force engineer, faces 25 charges after police accused him of damaging or destroying 13 Flock cameras between April and October 2025. Authorities say he dismantled poles, discarded units onto a highway, and kept solar panels and other components.

Sovern has pleaded not guilty, arguing the systems violate the Fourth Amendment by enabling warrantless tracking of ordinary drivers. Privacy advocates have raised more than $15,000 for his legal defense. Similar incidents have been reported in Houston, New Mexico, Iowa, and elsewhere, reflecting growing tension over automated license plate readers and the limits of mass surveillance, Military.com reports.