Oviedo Police Use Fake Flock Camera to Catch Suspected Vandal
Oviedo police used a 3D-printed replica of a Flock license plate reader as bait in an operation that led to the arrest of a man accused of damaging the device.
The unusual operation followed several Flock cameras along the Lockwood Boulevard corridor that were stolen or vandalized between late July and early August. Police said an officer created replicas of the cameras using a personal 3D printer, and the department installed the decoys in areas where previous incidents had occurred.
Officers then surveilled the fake cameras.
Shortly after midnight Aug. 20, police said 24-year-old Evan Meyer approached one of the decoys while wearing a mask and carrying pruning shears. Authorities allege Meyer knocked the replica from its pole and damaged it before attempting to leave the area. Officers monitoring the location arrested him.
Meyer was charged with three felonies, including attempted theft, criminal mischief and a charge involving damage to computer equipment. According to police records cited by multiple news outlets, investigators said Meyer believed the device was a real and expensive piece of equipment when he damaged it.
The decoy itself was made of plastic and did not function as a license plate reader. City officials said the officer produced it on a privately owned 3D printer at no cost to Oviedo.
The operation also caught some city leaders by surprise.
Oviedo Mayor Megan Sladek said she was unaware police had created and installed the fake cameras before learning about the operation. The incident came as city officials were already discussing concerns surrounding the city’s use of Flock’s automated license plate-reading technology.
Oviedo installed eight Flock cameras in February after the City Council approved the system in 2025. Police officials have said the cameras helped investigators locate stolen vehicles and missing people, while critics have raised concerns about privacy, data collection and the broader use of automated license plate readers.
The controversy surrounding the decoy cameras became part of a larger debate over the technology in Oviedo. The City Council later decided not to continue funding the Flock system, and the city’s eight cameras were removed Sept. 1.
