You might expect someone taking down surveillance cameras to avoid being filmed.Jevon Martinez did the opposite.The 44-year-old Rio Rancho, New Mexico, man recorded himself removing Flock Safety camera equipment around Bernalillo County on September 2.
He loaded the equipment into his pickup truck while explaining his reasoning to people watching online.The timing gave Martinez his opening.Days earlier, Bernalillo County Sheriff John Allen had moved to end the department's three contracts with Flock Safety.
Allen cited concerns about privacy, data sharing and his confidence in the company.However, he still supports automated license plate reader technology and plans to look at other vendors.Martinez apparently saw the remaining cameras as unfinished business.
What happened next shows how quickly a fight over surveillance can turn into a criminal case once someone starts removing hardware they do not own.NEW! Join our upcoming CyberGuy LIVE class: Get Better Health Care With AIIn this free live online class, Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson will show you five practical ways AI can help you take a more active role in your health care.You’ll learn how to organize your health history, remember important appointment details, understand complicated medical information, research prescriptions and prepare questions for your next doctor’s visit.
No technical experience is needed.Register for free now at CyberGuyLive.comTEENS ACCUSED OF DESTROYING FLOCK CAMERA UNTIL BATTERY EXPLODED, IGNITING FIRE NEAR HOMES: REPORTJevon Martinez recorded himself removing Flock Safety license plate reader cameras around Bernalillo County, New Mexico, before deputies arrested him.(Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)Martinez made his position unusually easy to understand because he documented it himself.
In a Sept.2 social media post, Martinez said BCSO no longer subscribed to Flock.
He wrote that he was taking down the equipment so he could return it.He also insisted that he was neither destroying nor...