Documented Incident
Oviedo mayor says she was unaware police installed a decoy Flock camera as a trap
Event: August 21, 2026 · First reported: August 21, 2026 · 11 sources
Oviedo, Florida Mayor Megan Sladek said in an August 21, 2026 Facebook post that the city manager confirmed the Oviedo Police Department installed a fake Flock camera and monitored it until someone cut it down. Sladek said she had not known about the decoy and did not know who paid for it, pledging to share more information as she learns it. The disclosure follows public pushback at a city council meeting where residents debated the city's eight Flock license plate reader cameras.
The episode raises questions about what elected officials know about their own police department's surveillance operations, and it lands as Oviedo's council weighs whether to keep its ALPR program at all.
Key facts
- Mayor Megan Sladek posted on August 21, 2026 that the city manager confirmed police put up a fake Flock camera and watched it until it was cut down.
- Sladek said she did not know who paid for the decoy and was not aware of the plan.
- Oviedo currently operates eight Flock license plate reader cameras.
- Police described weekly audits, user training, and investigation-specific restrictions at a recent council meeting; the council invited a Flock representative to a work session.
- A resolution to discontinue the cameras was set for council consideration on Sept. 10.
Timeline
- August 21, 2026'I am speechless': Police used fake Flock camera, Oviedo mayor says
- August 21, 2026Police in Florida used fake Flock camera , Oviedo mayor says
- August 22, 2026Oviedo police use fake Flock camera to catch vandalism suspect
- August 23, 2026Oviedo Arrest Over Decoy Flock Camera Raises Questions About Surveillance
Sources
This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.
- 'I am speechless': Police used fake Flock camera, Oviedo mayor says (WESH, August 21, 2026)
- Man arrested in Oviedo for smashing fake police Flock camera (yahoo.com, August 21, 2026)
- Man arrested in Oviedo for smashing fake police Flock camera (WFTV, August 21, 2026)
- Police in Florida used fake Flock camera , Oviedo mayor says (wesh.com, August 21, 2026)
- Man arrested in Oviedo for smashing police bait camera (wdbo.com, August 22, 2026)
- Oviedo police use fake Flock camera to catch vandalism suspect (Newsbreak, August 22, 2026)
- Oviedo police use fake Flock camera to catch vandalism suspect (Fox 35 Orlando, August 22, 2026)
- Oviedo Arrest Over Decoy Flock Camera Raises Questions About Surveillance (clickorlando.com, August 23, 2026)
- Oviedo Arrest Over Decoy Flock Camera Raises Questions About Surveillance (Newsbreak, August 23, 2026)
- Florida mayor says police used fake Flock cameras as bait to catch alleged vandal (wtsp.com, August 24, 2026)
- Decoy Flock cameras used to catch Florida vandal; mayor unaware of sting (NewsNation, August 26, 2026)
More from Florida
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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 26, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.