Oviedo police use fake Flock camera to catch vandalism suspect

OVIEDO, Fla. - Oviedo police turned to a 3D printer and a decoy license plate reader to catch a man accused of vandalizing cameras, a police operation that surprised the city's mayor.

It comes amid an ongoing debate over the controversial technology.

Police say decoy caught suspect

What they're saying:

Police said officers created a fake Flock camera after several license plate readers were stolen or vandalized. Officers installed the decoy on Lockwood Boulevard and placed it under surveillance.

"One of the officers 3D-printed a camera. We put it up, and we conducted surveillance on it," Police Chief David Coleman said. "Wednesday night or Thursday morning, we caught an individual that was vandalizing the camera."

Police said Evan Meyer, dressed in black, used pruning shears to cut down the decoy camera in an area where other Flock cameras had previously been stolen.

Police then arrested Meyer in connection with the vandalism.

Coleman said investigators approached the case as they would other suspected criminal activity.

"We look at this as any other kind of criminal activity," Coleman said. "If someone is selling drugs on a corner, we investigate it."

Mayor says council was unaware of operation

The other side:

Oviedo Mayor Megan Sladek said members of the City Council were not told about the operation beforehand.

"Nobody on City Council had direct knowledge that the police were doing any sort of operation like this," Sladek said. "So, it's sort of an evolving bit of information."

The sting came days after the City Council discussed whether it should consider ending Oviedo's use of Flock cameras.

Sladek said the timing and ongoing debate surrounding the cameras made the operation particularly sensitive but said police had a responsibility to investigate vandalism of city property.

"This is publicly owned property, and the police did their job," Sladek said. "The timing — and the fact that it involves Flock — is what makes this a sensitive issue for everybody."

Chief defends cost of decoy operation

Sladek also raised questions about how the operation was funded.

Coleman said creating the fake camera cost the department almost nothing and argued that the decoy could save taxpayers money by preventing damage to actual cameras that cost thousands of dollars to replace or repair.

"I think it's safe to say the fake camera saved us from spending more money on equipment we are currently utilizing," Coleman said.

Oviedo police said they could deploy additional decoy cameras if the vandalism continues.

OviedoSeminole County NewsCrime and Public Safety