Documented Incident
Greenport ALPR camera splattered with paint in second vandalism incident in two months
Event: August 6, 2026 · First reported: August 12, 2026 · 1 source
A Flock license plate reader at Manhasset Avenue and Main Road in Greenport, New York, was found covered in fresh red paint on Aug. 6, according to Southold Town police. The same camera had been splattered with paint and had wires pulled over the July 4 weekend, and Southold Police Chief Steven Grattan said it has remained out of service despite a Flock service visit. Two other Southold-area cameras had problems in July: one on Main Street was painted and then struck by a car, rendering it inoperable, and one in Peconic was found turned away from the road, though police said they could not determine whether that was intentional or caused by wind.
The repeated damage comes as Southold residents and state legislators debate retention limits, data sharing and oversight for license plate readers, illustrating how ALPR deployments funded partly by county donations and grants can become a local flashpoint.
Key facts
- The Greenport camera at Manhasset Avenue and Main Road was vandalized over July 4 weekend and again on Aug. 6.
- Southold has 11 Flock cameras: four installed in Mattituck in late 2022 and seven added last year in Southold, Greenport and East Marion.
- The police department bought three cameras at $3,000 each with grant funding; the Suffolk County Sheriff's Office donated the other eight.
- Residents raised Fourth Amendment and data-sharing concerns at an April 7 Town Board meeting; a state Senate bill introduced in April would generally require plate data deletion within 48 hours and annual public reporting.
- Flock says agencies control access and sharing, searches are logged, and data is deleted after a locally set retention period defaulting to 30 days.
Sources
This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.
- Greenport Flock camera vandalized for second time in two months (The Suffolk Times, August 12, 2026)
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About this record
BlockFlockNow documents reported incidents involving Flock Safety cameras and automated license plate readers: council votes, contract decisions, misuse by authorized users, lawsuits, audits, and community response. Every record is reviewed by a person before publication. New to the topic? Start with What is Flock?, find meetings near you, or learn how to request your town's camera records.
Updated August 15, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.