Documented Incident
Privately Owned Flock Camera Near Trinidad Stays Up After County Encroachment Notice
First reported: August 4, 2026 · 1 source
A Flock license plate reader installed late last year near the intersection of Scenic Drive and Westhaven in Humboldt County is owned by private resident Kevin Coffman, not the sheriff's office. Humboldt County Public Works sent Coffman a notice in early June to remove the camera because it sits in the county right-of-way; Coffman told the Lost Coast Outpost he never received the notice and learned of the issue when Supervisor Steve Madrone visited after receiving complaints. Coffman says he intends to relocate the camera onto his own property and keep it there. Sheriff William Honsal told the Board of Supervisors in early June that his office did not help install the camera and declined an offer to share its data, an offer Coffman denies making.
The dispute tests what happens when a private individual installs a commercial surveillance camera feeding a law enforcement network — raising questions about who authorizes placement in public rights-of-way and what oversight applies once the device sits on private land.
Key facts
- The camera was installed late last year at Scenic Drive and Westhaven, near Moonstone Beach; the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office separately operates nine Flock cameras (seven fixed, two mobile).
- Public Works Director Tom Mattson said in early June he expected removal within two weeks; the camera remained in place as of this report.
- Coffman said Flock employees chose the right-of-way location for line of sight and that he did not intend to install on county property.
- Roughly three dozen people spoke against Flock cameras at a Board of Supervisors meeting the prior month, and a Change.org petition to end the sheriff's Flock contract had nearly 750 signatures.
- Coffman said the camera has been vandalized at least once; he attributed it to a neighbor's child, an unverified claim. The sheriff's office had not responded to a request for comment.
Sources
This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.
- The Privately Owned Flock Camera in Westhaven Is Here to Stay — And the Owner Doesn't Really Care if You Don't Like it (Lost Coast Outpost, August 4, 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 10, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.