A South Carolina sheriff is crediting license-plate reader technology with saving an abducted girl, while warning that vandalism and political backlash against the system nearly derailed the investigation.
According to The Post Millennial, Spartanburg County Sheriff Bill Rhyne said that for 23 hours, authorities searched for young Riley Berryhill after she was reported missing, even going door-to-door along the highway to obtain private security footage. Investigators also relied on Flock Safety cameras to identify the suspect vehicle, a Chevrolet Malibu registered to 31-year-old Brandon Britten, whose digital trail helped break the case.
Britten and his wife were later arrested after officers located the girl alive in Arkansas, a rare outcome in abduction cases that often hinge on speed and accurate information. Yet officials revealed that the search was hampered because half of the Flock cameras in Woodruff, the city where the kidnapping occurred, had already been damaged.
Out of six cameras installed in Woodruff, three were not functioning properly, Woodruff Police Chief Gregory Ryan confirmed, noting that the city had been told repairs would take two weeks after the damage was reported. The trick to it is the number of damaged cameras throughout the country. They only have so many technicians that can get out on site, Ryan added.
One of the disabled units sat on Highway 101, directly along the route the Malibu traveled, and could have provided crucial evidence had it been operational. The failure came amid a broader campaign of opposition to Flocks AI-powered license-plate readers, which civil libertarians and left-leaning activists have attacked despite their consistent use in stopping crime and tracking suspects.
Without this technology let me make it very clear we would be at a complete standstill, Sheriff Rhyne said, underscoring how digital tools can multiply the effectiveness of limited law-enforcement resources. Ryan echoed that concern, stating, Honestly its very scary for me because without the other camera that did capture the vehicle with this tag, we dont know if we ever wouldve found her."
Ryan acknowledged the nationwide backlash against Flock but stressed that criminal activity is never the answer." He added, "Its incredibly frustrating and disheartening to me to know that people are out there damaging such a useful tool for law-enforcement because of some bad actors, a reminder that ideological attacks on policing and public-safety technology can carry very real human costs.
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