All Flock Cameras in Winona, Minnesota, Cut Down and Stolen in Coordinated Theft

All of Winona Police Department's Flock cameras cut down and stolen

In a coordinated theft on August 1, all eight Flock license plate reader cameras operated by the Winona Police Department were sawed off their poles and stolen, leaving only the poles behind. Two additional cameras on the Mississippi River Bridge, owned by Buffalo County, were taken in the same manner. Each camera is valued at about $3,000, totaling roughly $24,000 in losses for the police department. The cameras, positioned at key highway entry and exit points, are used to investigate crimes and locate missing persons. The thefts are part of a broader national trend of Flock camera vandalism, which has drawn criticism from civil liberties advocates. No suspects have been identified, and the investigation is ongoing.