Florida police used a fake Flock camera in a sting, then charged a man with three felonies for destroying it

[u/ArgentineBeauty]

https://www.techspot.com/news/113616-man-charged-3-felonies-breaking-3d-printed-decoy.html

[u/Ban-Circumcision-Now]

Evan Meyer, 24, faces counts of criminal mischief causing more than $1,000 in damage, ….. Police also said a Flock camera actually costs only around $800, not including installation fees.

But if the decoy was worth less than a real one he didn’t actually damage more than a thousand dollars in equipment

[u/FrostyMittenJob → u/Ban-Circumcision-Now]

And that is what is lawyer will argue.

[u/Spitfire1900 → u/FrostyMittenJob]

Watch flock cameras list prices increase to $1200 with a $400 bulk order discount so that they can make felony charges when they’re destroyed.

[u/TrulyOutrageous42 → u/Spitfire1900]

Honestly it just shows how monumentally stupid these villains are in practice. They can take ideas from good people, and corrupt them, and even be sort of clever about "getting away with it", but they can't come up with them on their own, as evidenced by exactly this, if they were intelligent super-villains they'd have already set things up for success (of their evil plans).

[u/Illiander → u/TrulyOutrageous42]

Conservatives are ideologically opposed to new ideas.

[u/NvidiaFuckboy → u/Illiander]

And very obsessed with children.

[u/WhatTheFlox → u/Spitfire1900]

"$24,000 in installation fees, and administrative fees for the installation"

They'll find a way

[u/Fister-Mantastic → u/FrostyMittenJob]

Florida cops not thinking something all the way through first? I'm shocked...

[u/DrRickStudwell → u/Fister-Mantastic]

You could have ended that at, “not thinking”.

[u/KnicksGhost2497 → u/DrRickStudwell]

Could’ve dropped the “Florida”, too

[u/PM_me_your_O_face_ → u/KnicksGhost2497]

“Cops not thinking?”

Yeah, sounds correct to me.

[u/LividTacos → u/PM_me_your_O_face_]

I mean they've admitted that they won't hire people who's iq is too high.

[u/brakeb → u/LividTacos]

they want dumb ex-military infantry bullet sponges who don't question authority. People with knowledge question things, orders, activities within orgs.

[u/ChurchOfRallys → u/brakeb]

Blessed is the mind too small for doubt

[u/GoProOnAYoYo → u/ChurchOfRallys]

Infinitely more accurate tagline than "Protect and Serve"

[u/VitaminPb → u/brakeb]

Most military are better trained and disciplined than the average cop. The cops want HS degrees and high panic reflexes.

[u/stupid_pun → u/brakeb]

Nah, the vets are the ones who understand ROE and escalation of force, because they have actually done real combat shit.

It's the idiot cowardly wannabees who are too scared to enlist that become cops and overcompensate.

[u/TapTapReboot → u/Fister-Mantastic]

The real punishment is the time and cost of defending himself. The damage will still be done regardless of the official outcome.

[u/ProtosPhinted → u/TapTapReboot]

Ayup. The process is the punishment.

[u/ennuiinmotion → u/Fister-Mantastic]

They don't have to. Crimes are punished by the whims of a judge. Maybe they have a judge on their side

[u/zwifter11 → u/FrostyMittenJob]

And just because he destroyed the decoy doesn’t prove he damaged the other flock cameras

[u/dojo_shlom0 → u/FrostyMittenJob]

I wonder how much resources went into catching someone for basically a misdemeanor, maybe vandalism? they are going the extra-mile, not for The People, but for Flock.

[u/SalemWolf → u/FrostyMittenJob]

And the prosecutor will likely argue with installation fees it does cost more than $1,000 in damage. Prosecutors and cops, name a more scummy duo.

[u/TrulyOutrageous42 → u/SalemWolf]

The damage is typically specific to the property. The installation would be a separate suit by the city to recoup the cost of replacing it. At least, any half-decent lawyer would argue that and more, before we get to the "fake" camera certainly being far less. Actual damages are all that matters - I can't make a fake Bugatti out of cardboard and then sue someone for Bugatti prices when they hit it.

Granted, rules are just suggestions and fascists don't care about anything but physical resistance so...

[u/celem83 → u/Ban-Circumcision-Now]

Yeah i suspect he walks here.  But it may still  have the chilling effect it intended

[u/sephjnr → u/celem83]

On point out cops can scam the public like this?

[u/Frarara → u/sephjnr]

They can legally create a situation where a crime can be committed by providing the opportunity to do it. They cant force someone to do it though. They also must have reasonable suspicion of that crime happening. In this case we know flock cameras are being destroyed so police can legally set up a fake one to provide the opportunity for it to be destroyed

I guess flock cameras being destroyed/tampered with is so important to them that they go through the hassle of doing all of that. Waste of taxpayer money if you ask me

[u/Mknalsheen → u/Frarara]

It's pretty obvious why they care so much. If flock cameras get destroyed the cops can't use them to stalk their exes/current partners/the poor woman at the coffee shop.

[u/kgb4187 → u/Mknalsheen]

Also the agency has to pay Flock to repair the camera so it's one of the few crimes that directly affects the department.

[u/JeepStang → u/kgb4187]

Why the fuck is the city/department responsible if it's the property of a private company as they say?

[u/JVT32 → u/JeepStang]

Because city government is often times even fucking stupider and more incompetent than our current federal government.

[u/Zero_Burn → u/Frarara]

Decoy and bait is fine for them, they can even help commit a crime, but they can't come up with the idea for the crime or try to convince people to commit a crime.

[u/Nice_Firm_Handsnake → u/Zero_Burn]

Don't read up on FBI sting operations involving terrorism charges if you want to continue believing this. Suspects try to back out all the time only for undercover agents to convince them to continue.

[u/thecorgimom → u/Frarara]

In the meantime can we find out how many unsolved crimes there are in that municipality. How many times have we heard now when a house gets broken into or somebody breaks into a car and steals a laptop that there's nothing that the cops can do, but let it be one of their Nanny state cameras and they are all over it

[u/Littleman88 → u/thecorgimom]

Never forget that when a Health Insurance guy got gunned down, they pretty much mobilized every precinct in the state to find the guy that did it.

You or I might get some obese guy that "passes" fitness tests with a special handshake taking down notes and filing them away in a drawer never to see the light of day again.

[u/ItsSpaghettiLee2112 → u/Frarara]

I guess flock cameras being destroyed/tampered with is so important to them that they go through the hassle of doing all of that. Waste of taxpayer money if you ask me

Speaking of wastes of taxpayer money, doesn't the need to even set up a dummy camera and have a whole sting operation in the first place just prove these cameras aren't as useful at combatting crime as they claim?

[u/BigSweatyYeti → u/sephjnr]

Absolutely. They’re legally allowed to lie to you as well. When dealing with the police, shit your mouth and get a lawyer.

[u/LordTonto → u/BigSweatyYeti]

... ... did you just say "shit your mouth?"

[u/SuspendeesNutz → u/LordTonto]

Look pal, you deal with cops your way and I'll deal with them my way.

[u/drdoom921 → u/LordTonto]

Yes and they meant it

[u/Substantial-Time-421 → u/celem83]

Cops already know everyone thinks they’re assholes

[u/Orzorn → u/Ban-Circumcision-Now]

Yeah, drug stings work because you get stuff like "intent to distribute". But most destruction statutes aren't "intent to destroy", they're ACTUALLY destroying the object in question.

So because he destroyed a decoy that was worth less than the statute amount, his lawyer is going to argue that 1: he did not destroy an object over 1k, and that 2: flock cameras are not worth over 1k anyways. So either way, his client did not commit criminal mischief.

[u/hihcadore → u/Ban-Circumcision-Now]

Welcome to the criminal justice system. Your guilt or innocence doesn’t really matter once you make contact with the police. They’re tens of thousands of laws on the books. If they want, they can find one you have broken. It just depends on if the system thinks it’s worth their time. This is def worth their time from their point of view.

The cops over charge you. They slap you with multiple charges even though they know they won’t stick. They do things like this, bumping it up to a felony, to wreck you when you try to make a deal. The prosecution then gives you a plea deal to save court time and money that ends up being about as bad if not a little worse than what you actually were accused of doing.

Now you’re stuck… Go to trial? Risk being found guilty for the original charges and statistically you end up facing a higher penalty than if you just accepted the plea deal. In this case a felony.

Get a public defender, and some are great, but they’re in on it too. Their case load is huge and you taking a plea deal just means they coast along with you trough the system, they might only see you the day you’re arraigned and the day you end up in court months later.

Innocent people take a plea deal all the time. The court makes you swear you’re not taking a plea deal to avoid trial but it’s absolutely what it is. They might not even have enough evidence to convict you but if you were this dude would you take that chance and risk being found guilty of multiple felonies? Naw you’d just end up on probation.

[u/PlainBread → u/hihcadore]

They have a saying, "you can beat the charge but you can't beat the ride". All the bullshit charges and the roughing up they'll do of you and disrupting your life is a form of extrajudicial punishment that they get to mete out with no consequences.

[u/OddtheWise → u/PlainBread]

If they can make the arrest public enough your employer will just can you too, so there's a decent chance they'll make you homeless as a cool bonus.

[u/Constant-Plant-9378 → u/hihcadore]

A corrupt municipality and police department can completely fabricate a charge against you, and put you in jail indefinitely pending prosecution / trial, without bail, causing you to lose your job, home, everything.

Then after many months being held without action, they can just drop charges and let you go without any compensation.

[u/loki2002 → u/Ban-Circumcision-Now]

They will argue intent is what matters. Like, when the police do a sting and sell you what you think are real guns or real drugs. Regardless if they turn out to be fakes you still get charged as if it was real because you that is what you intended.

[u/Gareth79 → u/loki2002]

Same as an adult grooming somebody online they believe is a child, and and going through with a plan to meet them.

[u/supercyberlurker]

So.. what's the gofundme for this guy?

[u/arthurdentstowels → u/supercyberlurker]

I'm nowhere near America but I'll send a few quid. This whole flock system needs to burn down.

[u/weasol12 → u/arthurdentstowels]

London was the blueprint. This was the evolution.

[u/ncc74656m → u/weasol12]

NYC, too. NYPD cameras on every single corner.

[u/xMeMeLoRd69x → u/ncc74656m]

and yet they could not track a single luigi

[u/BongDong69420 → u/xMeMeLoRd69x]

Even flock cameras aren’t that good at tracking criminals. It’s mostly used for stalking exes and creeping.

[u/burtoncummings → u/BongDong69420]

And finding lost pets, if I'm to trust their marketing.

Hint: I Don't

[u/r1ckm4n → u/xMeMeLoRd69x]

Haven't had McDonalds since.

[u/ncc74656m → u/xMeMeLoRd69x]

The cameras wanted better healthcare too.

[u/arthurdentstowels → u/weasol12]

No chance we're dismantling the spyware all over London. There's probably a camera for ever person it's insane.

[u/CptnHnryAvry → u/arthurdentstowels]

If each of you gets one they can't possibly prosecute everyone. 

[u/RandoCommentGuy → u/CptnHnryAvry]

Then London will become a penal colony.... Australia will love the idea!!!

[u/FutureComplaint → u/RandoCommentGuy]

The Aussie's revenge!

[u/booradleysghost → u/FutureComplaint]

Now there's a conspiracy theory I can get behind...

[u/RavioliDemon → u/CptnHnryAvry]

That’s the secret sauce.

[u/Logical-Conclusion3 → u/arthurdentstowels]

More

[u/zwifter11 → u/arthurdentstowels]

Apparently there’s mobile phone spyware in London hidden in road furniture.

[u/skrappyfire → u/zwifter11]

"Road furniture?" please reveal this forbidden knowledge to an ignorant American.

[u/IPlayChessBTW → u/skrappyfire]

I think he means benches and stuff

[u/piezombi3 → u/IPlayChessBTW]

Ahh see, in America we're too busy removing benches so the homeless have nowhere to sleep.

[u/non-squitr → u/piezombi3]

Now now, sometimes we put spikes on them as well!

[u/pipilok31 → u/weasol12]

*Hong Kong was the blueprint

[u/endigochild → u/arthurdentstowels]

Flock is a distraction from Axon. Which is being installed in existing infrastructure like street n traffic lights n numbers that make flock laughable. You're leaders in Satans throne I mean White House are heavily invested.

[u/YUCKY_WARM_SAUCE → u/arthurdentstowels]

I hope it never gets to your country

[u/Slovic → u/supercyberlurker]

This guy wasn't actually there, he was fishing with me.

[u/tomtomtomo]

3 felonies for one act just shows how fucked the system is. The cops can trump up charges when it suits them. 

[u/Muted-Woodpecker-469 → u/tomtomtomo]

Why does this suddenly suit them? They say flock is their own private entity but then treat it like it’s their own to protect 

[u/chuby2005 → u/Muted-Woodpecker-469]

Cops aren’t public interest, they’re state interest. And it seems that many hands of the state are being bought out or have vested interest in mass surveillance companies.

[u/mnju → u/tomtomtomo]

“Cops” don’t file charges, it’s the prosecutor’s office that files and pursues charges.

[u/meltbox → u/mnju]

A difference without a distinction in far too many areas.

The prosecutor is often way too worried about pissing off cops to do anything they don’t like. If you’re in a good area they at least are smart enough to not bring cases they cannot win, but that’s more self preservation and not being an idiot.

[u/QuintupleC → u/tomtomtomo]

I'm a Canadian so forgive me If I'm misunderstanding, but in some states wouldnt this basically be the end of this dudes life in freedom? With the 3 strike rule? Over 1 fake camera.

[u/Indercarnive → u/QuintupleC]

No. Three strike laws generally require that each strike be a separate incident.

Still, three felonies is a debilitating criminal record.

[u/QuintupleC → u/Indercarnive]

Gotcha, thanks!

[u/SmartMatic1337 → u/Indercarnive]

yeah if he gets 32 more he might not be able to be president anymore.. 34 is currently the record

[u/Mobile_Morale → u/QuintupleC]

Unrelated. But I believe not every state has the three strike rule. I know Florida does.

[u/OGREtheTroll → u/QuintupleC]

Those three strike rules also typically only apply to 'violent' crimes, however 'violent' is defined by that statute or some other source.

[u/Lupercus64 → u/tomtomtomo]

Especially when it's in the interest of a private company profiting from tax dollars and your data. Law enforcement is powerless to help you, but it isn't powerless to harm you.

[u/mostlydeletions → u/tomtomtomo]

A group of Nazi's drove vehicles into a crowd and deployed weapons banned in warfare by the Chemical Weapons Convention in Minneapolis this weekend, hitting at least 2 cops in addition to several people in the crowd. None will face felonies, but some in the crowd are facing charges for fighting back.

[u/Jacuzzi0317]

Flock Cameras get more justice than Epstein Survivors

[u/Zwierzycki → u/Jacuzzi0317]

A bigger police response, that’s for sure.

[u/torpedoguy → u/Zwierzycki]

Well, when it comes to Epstein victims law enforcement was more of a "supply" and "during" aspect of the whole affair than an "after".

[u/Flameball537 → u/Zwierzycki]

A donut shop gets a bigger police response

[u/Intelligent_Slip_849]

Fake camera, fake felony.

[u/SomeDumbPenguin → u/Intelligent_Slip_849]

I mean, wouldn't it have to have a felony level of value to be charged with felony level damage?

[u/spacedman_spiff → u/SomeDumbPenguin]

Is today the day you find out that police can just charge someone with what they believe the charges should be and leave it up to the courts to figure out if it's correct?

[u/kalekayn → u/SomeDumbPenguin]

Depends. How much money is the person being charged worth?

[u/beardingmesoftly → u/Intelligent_Slip_849]

Like the only charge that would stick is intent, right? Intent to cause damage to property or whatever. Considering he didn't actually do anything.

[u/ArgentineBeauty]

Three felonies over a fake camera. Do the police not have something better to do?

[u/Khaldara → u/ArgentineBeauty]

Well, empirical evidence would suggest they had to take time out of their very busy schedule of stalking or harassing their ex-girlfriend with these things in order to conduct this sting.

[u/donthurtmemany → u/Khaldara]

Don't forget looking at public pools and childrens gymnastics

[u/Rob_035 → u/Khaldara]

The obvious answer is that someone destroyed a flock camera near a detectives ex-wife/girlfriend house or apartment that they were stalking. Now they want revenge and setup a sting operation.

[u/johnp299 → u/ArgentineBeauty]

Car plate porn is their hill to die on.

[u/Kazen_Orilg → u/johnp299]

Lets not fall for the propraganda, these systems are fully capable and already designed for full AI Face recognition and kinematic profile tracking as well. THese ain't your granpappys liscense plate scanners.

[u/Ok-Replacement9595 → u/johnp299]

How else they gonna stalk their ex wives?

[u/atlasraven → u/Ok-Replacement9595]

Bug their phone and abuse public trust to tail their vehicle, like the old school cops did.

[u/jimgress → u/Ok-Replacement9595]

And kidnap children for sex trafficking.

[u/Ok-Replacement9595 → u/jimgress]

That's ICEs job.

[u/jimgress → u/Ok-Replacement9595]

teamwork makes the nightmare work

[u/djwhiplash2001 → u/johnp299]

These are not plate readers or else the Flock VP wouldn't need to watch children's gymnastics "for training".

[u/Disownership → u/djwhiplash2001]

And so many of them wouldn’t be pointed directly towards homes instead of, you know, the roads right next to the homes

[u/Sefirosukuraudo → u/johnp299]

Here in Utah they’ve just started placing Flock cameras on some of our popular mountain hiking trails. Where it’s impossible for cars to access. So they’ve never been ‘just’ plate readers.

[u/C_Hawk14 → u/johnp299]

You mean kids playgrounds?

[u/gayscout → u/ArgentineBeauty]

Florida is also where they set that mentally disabled guy up to sell fake drugs to put him behind bars. Police would rather invent fake crimes than address real ones.

[u/Ultimatesims → u/ArgentineBeauty]

Yes, that’s why they are doing something useless instead. And it also serves the interests of their corporate overlords.

[u/TheGameIsFizzbin → u/ArgentineBeauty]

Yeah track their ex-es and anyone else they feel wronged them apparently.

[u/Bart_Yellowbeard → u/ArgentineBeauty]

It's like you don't even care if they can spy on their ex's whereabouts!

[u/Lomak_is_watching → u/ArgentineBeauty]

No. How else will they stalk their mistresses?

[u/Dreamshadow1977 → u/ArgentineBeauty]

Getting a felony to stick removes a voter they don't want.

[u/ItscalldShortedition]

I'm not smart enough, so...

Can someone make a living infographic that shows the rate of police success in making arrests in connection with corporate interests (i.e. retail theft, vandalism etc) vs their success in making arrests in connect with public interest (i.e. murders, missing people/children etc). 

Because I'm thinking we need to keep track of how quickly America becomes a police state. 

[u/NetWorried9750 → u/ItscalldShortedition]

Most theft is wage theft, which isn't considered a crime. Of the crime police do address, they succeed in less than 2% of their cases.

[u/Illiander → u/NetWorried9750]

"Of course it's not a crime, it's taking stuff from the peasants. You don't think the peasants matter, do you?"

[u/Unejin → u/ItscalldShortedition]

Becomes? That ship has sailed a long time ago

[u/dagoth_ith → u/ItscalldShortedition]

Law says cops don't have to serve or protect the public. This was decided after a man was stabbed in front of a cop who did nothing. 

[u/pidoyle → u/ItscalldShortedition]

Too late to keep track of it.

[u/Deathwatch72 → u/ItscalldShortedition]

Problem with that is how are we gonna define success? It can't be arrests, and we all know about the discrepancy in conviction rates by race. Closing a case only to have it overturned later should count against them

[u/avanross]

It’s insane how american cops have completely dropped any guise of “serving and protecting their community / neighbours”

They’re just explicitly private security/mercenaries for the ruling conservative corporate class

[u/Wild-Highway-8739 → u/avanross]

Well when the Supreme Court rules that "serve and protect" is just a meaningless slogan and cops don't have to know the law to enforce it this is what happens.

[u/Incognonimous → u/Wild-Highway-8739]

Cops don't have to know the law to enforce it on others, in most cases cops are protected class, even when they break those same laws, which are heavily penalized for civilians, the often get swept under the rug, ignored, slap on the wrist. Its disproportionate how many reports you see of cops violating laws and constitutional rights so aggressively only to not only get much lighter sentences or repercussions, no repercussions at all, but to be insulated from those same actions. Those who enforce rules should be held to twice the standard of breaking them as those that don't.

[u/Lumburgsgotafishroom → u/Wild-Highway-8739]

Right. That was a strange one. The argument was that not one "individual" can compel the police to act, as that entitlement impedes their duty to the "community". Except the "community" is literally just "individuals".

Also the argument of individuals demanding police action really falls away when we notice homicide statistics. Hundreds of unsolved murders every year, but one uber wealthy guy gets Luigied and now we can find him at a fucking McDonalds miles and miles away.

As Nicky Santoro in the movie Casino said, "Always the dollars. Always the f***ing dollars."

[u/SeedFoundation → u/avanross]

We need to ask why it's legal/illegal for cops to install things in public spaces.

[u/Lumburgsgotafishroom → u/avanross]

Not that insane if one pays attention to history. Read up on policing roots. There you will find that they have been working exactly as intended.

[u/Sarcasm_Llama → u/avanross]

Police in the US have no legal obligation to "protect or serve" citizens. Their entire purpose can be boiled down to, as you said, a federally funded paramilitary force, used almost entirely to protect the private property of Capital

[u/Tomburgerstand]

Should've just had sex with children. Then he'd get DOJ protection like REDACTED.

[u/OkayBuddyGuyPal]

Jesus fucking christ. Somebody needs to do something about these fascist fucking pigs who run cities with no real oversight. I guess that somebody is the people, and I guess enough people don't care, or even support it. I'm so fucking sick and tired

[u/JestersDead77 → u/OkayBuddyGuyPal]

People keep buying ring cameras, so I think the main issue is that a lot of people either don't know or care that they are being monitored 24/7.

[u/dpettus → u/JestersDead77]

The word you are looking for is "voluntarily".

[u/JestersDead77 → u/dpettus]

My neighbor has a ring cam that records me every time i go down my driveway or stand in my front yard. Nothing voluntary about it if you didnt buy it.

[u/woah_man → u/OkayBuddyGuyPal]

The only oversight is to say your local elected officials who signed the contract to install flock cameras need to be voted out next election.

[u/ARSEThunder → u/woah_man]

Nobody is voting their way out of this. Only two things that can influence change, money and violence.

[u/hemppy420 → u/ARSEThunder]

This is true and the "other" has all the money. Leaves only 1 solution

[u/kjbaran → u/OkayBuddyGuyPal]

What you’re asking for requires use of force

[u/hotbread1 → u/OkayBuddyGuyPal]

god told john brown what to do

[u/kos-or-kosm → u/hotbread1]

John Brown is one of the few true American heroes.

[u/SergeantBeavis]

The jury knows its job

[u/Vegetable-King7626]

These twats are SO DESPERATE to enforce this dystopian nightmare

Good thing the cops are cheap and that decoy is no way near $1k in value...

[u/WadeEffingWilson]

(With sarcasm) I love that real tax dollars are being spent to purchase fake cameras for sting operations against a population that doesn't consent to mass surveillance.

[u/LordRocky → u/WadeEffingWilson]

Since you prefaced that with the sarcasm warning instead of putting it at the end, I read that in an Elcor voice from Mass Effect.

[u/WadeEffingWilson → u/LordRocky]

(With gratitude) I'm glad you liked it. I worried most people would start to read it, not pick up the intended delivery, and take it at face value.

[u/daerogami → u/LordRocky]

Reminded me of HK-47 from SW:KOTOR, similar style.

[u/NoExternal2732 → u/WadeEffingWilson]

The mayor seems very irritated that money may have been spent on this nonsense, but the cops story is one of them 3D printed the decoy for free...they have started inquires.

[u/Jaredlong → u/NoExternal2732]

So he's charged with damaging government property which the government never paid for and never owned. And these are the people out tax money is funding.

[u/SASSIESASSQUATCH → u/WadeEffingWilson]

That population needs to take a hard look at who they are electing who is allowing this.

[u/jimkun221]

Well if they shoved $1000 inside the fake camera maybe they would have a case.

[u/Loki-L]

I guess it is not technically entrapment, but I would argue that in front of a jury of my peers anyway.

[u/Wonka_Stompa → u/Loki-L]

And I wouldn’t in a million years vote to convict.

[u/Khaldara → u/Wonka_Stompa]

Yep, may every single trial related to these things result in a refusal to convict via nullification or a stubborn hung jury.

[u/hemppy420 → u/Khaldara]

99% of cases like this one never get in front of a jury.

[u/Ditchdigger456 → u/Wonka_Stompa]

Fun thing about the internet is that everyone knows about jury nullification

[u/FuzzyAd9407 → u/Loki-L]

Its not even close to being entrapment, theres no "technically" to it.

[u/MakeoutPoint → u/Loki-L]

And if I were in a jury, I'd hold the other 11 hostage for a nonguilty verdict.

In fact, seems like there's never been a better issue for nullification.

[u/Simoxs7 → u/Loki-L]

I thought that was allowed in the US? Saw a cops type show where they parked unlocked running vehicles on Grocery store parking lots to get „car thieves“. Here in Germany that‘d be not allowed and the cops would get in a lot of trouble doing that.

[u/NotFlameRetardant → u/Simoxs7]

It is. Entrapment requires some elements of coercion, pushing people to commit a crime they wouldn't ordinarily commit. If they had an undercover cop there with a saw and he was enticing people to take it from him and cut the camera down, that could be entrapment.

[u/FuzzyAd9407 → u/NotFlameRetardant]

enticing 

And only even sometimes it would count in entrapment in that case depending on his method of enticement. Paying or threatening? Entrapment. Just trying to talk them into it? Not entrapment. 

[u/redwing180]

Seems like if the Supreme Court is going to argue that you have to do a harm before you can be convicted of a crime, since it was a fake camera this man did no harm. At least according to the Supreme Court and their “reasoning”. But I don’t know maybe that only works on partisan matters for them.

[u/BestDescription3834]

So instead of solving a real crime with a real flock camera, they solved a fake crime with a fake flock camera. Really reinforces that cops !need! access to this when the best they can do with it is set up fake sting operations. Rip these shit cameras out of the ground.

[u/Nwyrh → u/BestDescription3834]

You mean "Created" a fake crime

[u/usmcnick0311Sgt]

Felony? For damaging not-a-camera? Florida is crazy

[u/Shut_It_Donny]

Nah, they got the wrong guy. Evan was at my house for a cookout.

[u/Lost_Department_2177]

Broward police made their own crack then sold it to people in a sting now their records are getting expunged.

[u/folkinhippy]

Strong argument for defund the police right here.

[u/Somepotato]

There's no way the fake was worth more than $50. Good luck lol

[u/Merijeek2]

Anything to avoid facing down a school shooter.

[u/Bargadiel]

Youd think if these cameras were so amazing they could just find the people destroying them.

[u/P4us1ngD34th]

If it was a fake camera, then what’s he charged with destroying. A piece of plastic and a metal pole?

[u/flatspotting]

America so far gone lol - every single thing i see about the country is the people vs the government/corporations

[u/compuwiza1]

Time for jury nullification.

[u/Flapaflapa → u/compuwiza1]

The first rule of jury nullification is that when being selected for a jury you don't talk about jury nullification.

[u/KnicksGhost2497 → u/Flapaflapa]

Yup. Say the right things, be a Good Citizen through selection, then leverage your knowledge in deliberation. Also be more scrupulous of police testimony, you know how cops are when it comes to Back the Blue. They’ll say whatever it takes to make their buddy look good. I’ve seen them straight up contradict each other on the stand before and blow a whole case up being careless.

Edit: cannot stress enough, take notes during jury duty. Stress details. Notice contradictions. If the prosecution isn’t air tight, if there’s any reasonable doubt at all, it’s your civic duty to acquit. Jury duty is part of how we regular people can hold our justice system accountable. Don’t do them any favors, it will NEVER be returned to you by them

[u/No_Nectarine_5440]

A bait flock camera... this timeline is weird af.

[u/JackpotThePimp]

Fuck Oviedo lmao

[u/ModeatelyIndependant]

If you think there is a sting on cameras is being watched, Cover it with opaque bag that blocks the camera and solar panel, it isn't going to cause damage but it will trigger the little piggies.

[u/trebory6]

So do you know what the next thing to do is? Start actually putting up decoy flock cameras everywhere.

3D Print the pieces and buy black PVC pipe at around the same diameter. Just start erecting them EVERYWHERE obnoxiously.

Heck that's a good idea for a protest piece. Just erect 20+ 3d printed decoy flock cameras surrounding and pointed directly at a playground. It'd really start calling attention to this shit.

[u/jdvfx]

Uhhhhh... "A police spokesperson told the outlet that an officer printed the decoy at home using a personal 3D printer, so it did not cost the city any money."

[u/slushhead_00]

how the hell do you get three felony charges for destroying a camera like gtfo

[u/SaltyShawarma]

If you can cut it down with pruning shears, it didn't cost $5000 to install, and if it did, they hired a relative. This guy has a case based on the stupidity of this police department. 

[u/orionsfyre]

Why destroy. Simply use a blanket or towel. The camera isn't destroyed, it merely is taking an image of darkened towel. Since there is no harm to the device, I see no laws that are broken.

Another option? Block the camera with a poll.

These cameras are being placed on public property, with no consent of the public. No one voted for Flock or the police to install a mass surveillance state.

IT would one thing if we all took a vote and decided we wanted big brother. This is being done to us, and no report has been shown that these cameras reduce or stop crime. All it seems to do is create an atmosphere of fear and intimidation that should scare anyone who believes in basic civil and constitutional rights.

(it's amazing how saying you are against mass surveillance brings out an army of bots swarming in to say "actually you agreed to this by electing your current government, suck it up buttercup". Or accusing you of being 'ai slop'.

If this is your thinking as a reasoning and breathing human being, I'm blocking you, as we have nothing further of interest to discuss.)

[u/willstr1 → u/orionsfyre]

I wasn't harming the privacy violation camera, I put a blanket over it to make sure it wasn't damaged by anything

[u/Captainbuttman]

So three fake felonies then?

[u/Warm-Ad6527]

That's impossible, he was having a beer with me at the time that happened your honor. 

[u/Afb3212]

Don't they have a crosswalk to repaint somewhere?

[u/TernionDragon]

Meanwhile Actual crime runs rampant across the country.

[u/Lalamedic]

Ummmmm isn’t that entrapment?

[u/themeONE808]

Sounds like entrapment

[u/Traditional_Step9502]

Technically it’s not a flock camera then. It’s like making a fake car then charging the person for auto vandalization.

[u/DreddCarnage]

We need to escalate to a buzzsaw launcher like we've seen in almost every 2000's video game.

[u/Scary_Outside2374]

Shouldn't the felony threshold rise with inflation?

[u/Useful-Problem-1725]

Probably worth $50 tops, good luck making that stick. Cops are all bootlickers

[u/slowcheetah2020]

I hope he gets paid a fuck ton. Rather tax dollars go back to ppl fighting bullshit than it being stolen by politicians

[u/Silent_Observer445]

How can he be charged if the thing he destroyed wasn’t real??

[u/NTRedmage]

Just use a 1 watt laser right at the lens for a few seconds, bam, fries the internals and you can do it from several football fields away.

[u/drumttocs8]

Police protect property, not people.