Illinois College Covered Security Cameras with Trash Bags in Privacy Dispute

Staff at Elgin Community College in Illinois resorted to wrapping surveillance cameras in black trash bags and zip ties after a security company refused to take them down. The unusual standoff began when college administrators decided they no longer wanted automated surveillance on their campus, leading to a quiet tug-of-war over who controlled the equipment.

resorted to= 指在其他方法皆無效的情況下，不得不採取極端或最後手段。leading to= 現在分詞短語，表示上述決定或行動所導致的後續結果。

The college originally had six Flock safety cameras installed in April 2025 to enhance student safety. By September of that year, however, school administrators grew concerned about data privacy and security. Officials worried that Flock was sharing data with Customs and Border Patrol, that camera feeds were not properly secured, and that both law enforcement and company employees might abuse access to the collected information.

had six Flock safety cameras installed= 「have + 受詞 + 過去分詞」使役結構，表示學院安排安裝設備，而非直接說明由誰親自安裝。

In October 2025, the college formally asked Flock to remove the cameras. According to Elgin President Peggy Heinrich, Flock rejected the request, stating that it had not violated its contract. School officials reached out again in December, offering to pay for the remaining five months of the contract if the company would remove the devices early, but the offer was met with silence.

was met with silence= 慣用被動句式，字面為「受到沉默以對」，表示提出的請求完全未收到對方的任何答覆。

Determined to stop the cameras from recording, college staff began covering them with black trash bags fastened with zip ties. Soon after, workers in an unmarked vehicle—whom Heinrich assumed were from Flock—began arriving on campus to uncover them. "We were kind of in a back and forth for a bit where we’d cover, and then when they’d come to service, they’d remove," Heinrich said. "Then we’d cover and then they’d remove."

為了阻止攝影機繼續錄影，學院員工下定決心，開始用束帶固定的黑色垃圾袋將攝影機罩住。不久之後，乘坐無標識車輛的工人——海因里希推測他們來自 Flock——開始來到校園拆除遮蓋物。「我們陷入了一段短暫的來回拉鋸：我們罩住，他們來維修時拆掉，」海因里希說，「接著我們再罩住，他們又再拆掉。」

Determined to stop= 過去分詞片語作原因狀語，說明員工採取罩住攝影機這一行動的堅決動機。where we’d cover= 此處「would（'d）」表示過去反覆發生的習慣性動作（「我們一罩住……他們就拆掉」）。

The cycle of covering and uncovering the cameras continued until April 2026, when the college's contract finally expired and Flock took the cameras down.

單字	意思
surveillance	為了掌握人員或團體的行動與情況，而持續且密切地進行觀察，通常由警方或其他執法機關執行；監視。
tug-of-war	雙方勢均力敵、彼此角力的僵持局面或激烈爭奪。
enhance	提高（某種能力、效果或表現），使更加顯著或出色

Illinois College Covered Security Cameras with Trash Bags in Privacy Dispute

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句型	意思
resorted to	指在其他方法皆無效的情況下，不得不採取極端或最後手段。
leading to	現在分詞短語，表示上述決定或行動所導致的後續結果。
had six Flock safety cameras installed	「have + 受詞 + 過去分詞」使役結構，表示學院安排安裝設備，而非直接說明由誰親自安裝。
was met with silence	慣用被動句式，字面為「受到沉默以對」，表示提出的請求完全未收到對方的任何答覆。
Determined to stop	過去分詞片語作原因狀語，說明員工採取罩住攝影機這一行動的堅決動機。
where we’d cover	此處「would（'d）」表示過去反覆發生的習慣性動作（「我們一罩住……他們就拆掉」）。