Marcus Bee, 40, a man from Pismo Beach, was arrested after investigators linked him to the destruction of at least three Flock Safety automated license plate recognition cameras in Lockwood and Bradley
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The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office said the suspect, a man from Pismo Beach in San Luis Obispo County, was caught on video running over a Flock camera
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Bee traveled to Monterey County and intentionally damaged multiple Flock Safety cameras, causing thousands of dollars in damage to public safety infrastructure in the communities of Lockwood and Bradley
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The irony was inescapable: he was caught by the very thing he attacked.
Although Bee intentionally damaged the ALPR cameras, his actions were captured by other surveillance cameras located nearby, and that evidence, combined with other investigative leads, enabled detectives to identify Bee as the suspect
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Bee was not alone in his grievance.
A growing number of activists and self-described privacy campaigners have begun disabling or vandalizing Flock cameras in several U.S. states
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Flock Safety’s network of Automated License Plate Reader cameras has expanded rapidly across the United States, with the company saying its technology is now used by thousands of law enforcement agencies and communities nationwide, with more than 120,000 camera locations across the U.S.
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In Suffolk, Virginia, 13 cameras were destroyed from April to October of 2025, and in October of 2025, someone took down six cameras in Eugene and Springfield, Oregon, with one camera having an expletive-laden note addressed to “ya surveilling f-cks.”
Privacy advocates have raised alarm bells about the expanding network.
Because Flock’s indiscriminate system records information on all cars and drivers that pass its cameras, critics warn “we have a company working to record the comings and goings of every single person in the country,” in what some call “a very un-American take on privacy.”
The ACLU has raised concerns that ALPRs can be used to find any vehicle that has passed by a camera and is not limited to cases involving serious felonies or missing children, with no requirement to get a warrant, and data-sharing between local police departments or with the Department of Homeland Security can lead to the creation of a nationwide surveillance system that tracks vehicles around the country
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As President Trump’s immigration enforcement crackdown has escalated, concerns are growing over whether the local data from these cameras could be aiding the deportation dragnet, with Flock claiming it doesn’t work with ICE directly, but an investigation finding more than 4,000 searches that may have been conducted on behalf of or in partnership with ICE
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A police officer was recently charged after allegedly abusing Flock surveillance tools, adding to a growing list of cases in which officers have allegedly misused license plate reader systems for personal reasons, with an Institute for Justice analysis identifying at least 22 cases nationwide in which officers allegedly abused ALPR to keep tabs on their romantic interests, the bulk happening since 2024
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Law enforcement saw the cameras differently.
“This arrest sends a clear message that anyone who intentionally damages public safety equipment will be identified, arrested, and held accountable,” said Monterey County Sheriff Tina Nieto, adding that “These cameras have become an invaluable investigative resource that helps us solve crimes, recover stolen vehicles and ag equipment, locate missing persons, and protect our communities.”
Nieto stated that any attempts to disable these systems will not prevent them from doing their job, and noted that in Bee’s case, “the suspect’s own actions were captured on surveillance cameras, leading directly to his arrest.”
The destruction caused real harm to budgets.
The damage to the Flock cameras totaled thousands of dollars in public safety infrastructure
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Some municipalities are moving away from the cameras entirely.
Some municipalities have responded by cancelling their contracts with the embattled company, while others have banned federal authorities from accessing their data or imposed privacy guardrails to ensure its responsible usage
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Broken and smashed Flock cameras have been documented in La Mesa, California, just weeks after the city council approved the continuation of Flock cameras deployed in the city, despite a clear majority of attendees favoring their shutdown
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In the viral moment that has now become routine, Bee allegedly targeted the surveillance system head-on.
During the investigation, detectives determined Bee traveled to Monterey County and intentionally damaged multiple Flock Safety cameras, causing thousands of dollars in damage to public safety infrastructure in the communities of Lockwood and Bradley
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He was arrested and booked into the Monterey County Jail on a charge of felony vandalism
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His bail was set at $30,000
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