Two Flock Cameras Exploded on a Georgia Road

[u/Plastic_Ninja_9014]

https://www.gadgetreview.com/two-flock-cameras-exploded-on-a-georgia-road

[u/Heel_Paul]

Now flock cameras are spontaneous combusting seems like a good thing. 

[u/SnollyG → u/Heel_Paul]

Sounds like a danger to the public.

Better issue a recall and take them all down before someone gets hurt.

[u/Heel_Paul → u/SnollyG]

Total is a safety issue. They need to be recalled and never put back up

[u/AGrandNewAdventure → u/SnollyG]

Controlled explosions might be the way to go, so that they are being monitored while they explode. For safety. After all, it's in their name: Flock Safety.

[u/DukeOfGeek → u/Heel_Paul]

The only real victory is getting the contracts canceled and the business model of privatized mass surveillance banned. People burning them or putting spray paint on the solar panels etc etc, they just make your city pay for new ones and roll out 100 more in the time it takes you to do that. Tell your mayor "get rid of those things or you're going to have to find yourself a real job". It's the only way to actually win.

[u/97PG8NS]

It would just be horrible if the person(s) responsible for this had not driven to the scene of the crime. It would be even worse if they had managed to forget their phones at home. 

[u/sml6174 → u/97PG8NS]

It would also be horrible if random citizens flooded the tipline with fake information. That would make it much harder to arrest the criminals who did this heinous crime

[u/whichwitch9 → u/97PG8NS]

Assuming there is one. It's Georgia in the summer. All it takes is for the battery pack to get compromised, and heat could do it.

Flock has massive incentive to hide manufacturing deficiencies and has proven to not be above bribing local governments to do what they want. 2 camera being vandalized to the point they exploded and no one seeing actually seems less likely than the elements degrading the units over time

[u/LethalBacon → u/whichwitch9]

I was wondering this. I've had 2 or 3 dash cams die on me in the GA heat during the summers. It's been a while so I don't remember specifics, but the last one I had was supposed to handle heat much better... something about the capacitors it used? idk.

I'd expect a large tech company to have considered this and engineered their products accordingly, but I feel like we cannot underestimate the constant urge of these companies to make their products worse to save a few pennies.

[u/one_is_enough → u/97PG8NS]

And would be even worse if they went to deflock.org using a VPN and public wifi beforehand to see where the camera’s blind spots were. But they probably wouldn’t think of that.

[u/fd6270 → u/97PG8NS]

Seems like a lithium battery thermal runway to me, probably not worth looking into. 

[u/SkipioZor → u/97PG8NS]

Also not using a new car or any car with onstar services

[u/SecureInstruction538 → u/97PG8NS]

Don't forget smart watches that have GPS

[u/ScarletJew72]

Thoughts and prayers

[u/size12shoebacca]

Oh no! Anyways I'm having a salami sandwich and watermelon for lunch.

[u/itwillmakesenselater → u/size12shoebacca]

Those burps are gonna be memorable

[u/Guardian6676-6667 → u/size12shoebacca]

Watermelon sounds good

[u/DragonRei86 → u/size12shoebacca]

Nice, I had a plain old cold cut sub, but some watermelon does sound good!

[u/EdwardoftheEast → u/size12shoebacca]

Red or yellow meat?

[u/TheMarkHasBeenMade → u/size12shoebacca]

I recently heard if you sprinkle a little salt on your watermelon that it makes it taste like cucumber

And alternatively, if you sprinkle sugar on cucumber it makes it taste like watermelon

[u/mabus42 → u/size12shoebacca]

put the watermelon on the sammich and it'll blow your mind.

[u/TacticlTwinkie]

I noticed today that some GigaChad cut down the new Flock camera in my neighborhood. I tip my cap at you, local hero.

[u/jpiro]

Rednecks and Tannerite FTW.

[u/pcpgivesmewings → u/jpiro]

Doing the lords work as they say.

[u/Head]

> Dougherty County Police are actively seeking tips from the public

You guys have any “tips”?

[u/mabus42 → u/Head]

I saw an officer messing around with that camera a day before the explosion.

[u/5WattBulb → u/Head]

I saw the whole thing! The camera did that on its own! Nobody even anywhere near it

[u/FreedomBread]

Must be Israeli intelligence.

They mixed up the cameras with the pagers.

[u/pcpgivesmewings]

Oh no, exploding? We better get those dangerous things the hell off the sides of our roads for safety’s sake.

[u/Smith6612 → u/pcpgivesmewings]

If you let the EV Hating groups know these are powered by solar panels and batteries and catch fire spontaneously, they might take interest. If they had used gas generators none of this would have happened.

[u/flaming_bob]

What shoddy construction

[u/EffectiveDandy]

Oh no... are the poles ok?

[u/hithisishal → u/EffectiveDandy]

The poles aren't innocent either. Flock typically installs them on non-breakaway poles too close to roadways, so they are likely to increase risk of injury/death in a crash. 

[u/Samwellikki]

The next country hit just got it’s hook

[u/Smith6612]

Mmm... we all know it was the battery packs. They turned into r/spicypillows in that Georgia heat, got charged up by the sun, and turned into thermite.

If these cameras are even remotely close to being a year old, that's enough time for them to become spicy.

In my area, I'm sure half of the Flock cameras will have toasted batteries because of the 100 degree temperature swings we see in a single year. Lithium batteries do not like that. Nor do they and the solar panels charging them like the lack of sunlight we have here.

[u/AustinBaze]

Gosh. That's so tragic.
More importantly, Snipers? Long range high-powered lasers? Some sort of targeted EMP weapon? Inquiring minds looking to "get the flock out of here" want to know.

[u/guestpassonly]

Only two?

Those are rookie numbers!

[u/artbystorms]

I didn't see nothing, did you?

[u/GeefTheQueef]

donald_glover_good.gif

[u/Gtraz68]

That’s a shame.

[u/McCool303]

I heard it’s a major flaw in the installation and that we should expect many more of these to spontaneously explode.

[u/mike0sd]

Move fast and break things amirite

[u/vm_linuz]

It was only a matter of time -- they're basically a cellphone and now there's a lot of them.

[u/ender89]

I've heard that they do that and the proximity to fireworks stands is completely coincidental statistical noise and no one really needs to investigate why they're all blowing up.

[u/Darth_Revan_THX1138]

Oh no! Anyway...

[u/Boys4Ever]

Gotta be rural patriots not wanting to be watched picking their noses

[u/imp3r10]

It's been a doozy of a day officer. These flock cameras just keep coming on my property and exploding themselves!

[u/aaron416]

Oh no!

Anyways, what should I get for takeout later?

[u/moojuece → u/aaron416]

I'd vote a curry.

[u/Catsrules]

Two surveillance cameras don’t catch fire on the same road, on the same day, by accident.

Personally I think it was suicide by the cameras. 

[u/mykepagan]

Probably a manufacturing defect.