St. Paul council and Crystal exit deepen regional split over Flock cameras
St. Paul's City Council unanimously passed a nonbinding resolution on Aug. 26 calling for an end to Flock Safety automated license-plate cameras in the city and Ramsey County.[1]
The resolution directs Mayor Kaohly Her and Ramsey County commissioners to respond and requires the city administration to report back within 60 days.[1] Mayor Her and St. Paul Police Chief Axel Herny said the two Flock cameras owned by the city will be removed in the interim.[1] Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher rejected calls to end his office's contract, calling ALPRs "one of the best technologies" he's used and crediting them with steep drops in auto theft and violent crime.[2]
The split deepened as the Crystal Police Department permanently ended its Flock contract, physically removed all six cameras and halted interagency data sharing for the remainder of its retention period, citing resident privacy worries.[3] Dozens of Twin Cities suburbs and some county agencies signed Flock contracts, with cities typically paying about $3,000 per camera per year as departments expanded ALPR networks.[4] Residents and activists pushed back over data sharing and immigration concerns, and several jurisdictions moved to pause or end contracts amid growing public debate.[5]
Local coverage and politics have shifted.[6] Early stories highlighted cases where sheriffs credited Flock hits with arrests, but reporting then trended toward scrutiny as more cities halted agreements and vandalism rose statewide.[7] Flock has moved to cut default data retention to seven days, add an offense filter to block immigration searches and require new audit tools as municipalities and county officials decide whether to keep or remove the cameras.[7]
The mainstream summary does not fully capture the strong local sentiment against Flock cameras, as highlighted by social media discussions. For instance, the unanimous 7-0 vote by the St. Paul City Council reflects a significant pushback against surveillance technology, a detail emphasized by @cicero_mn. While the summary mentions the sheriff's defense of the cameras, it downplays the contrasting views within the community and the council, where concerns about privacy and AI tracking capabilities are prominent, as noted by @FrederickMelo.
Additionally, the summary overlooks the broader implications of this regional divide. While Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher praises the cameras for their effectiveness, other areas like Crystal have chosen to terminate their contracts, indicating a growing trend of skepticism towards automated surveillance. This divergence in perspectives illustrates a critical debate on public safety versus privacy that the mainstream account does not adequately address, as seen in the reactions from various community members and officials on platforms like Twitter.
Show source details & analysis (13 sources)
📌 Key Facts
- The St. Paul City Council unanimously passed a nonbinding resolution calling for an end to Flock camera use in both the City of St. Paul and Ramsey County, directing the mayor's office and Ramsey County commissioners to respond and requiring the administration to report back within 60 days.
- Mayor Kaohly Her and St. Paul Police Chief Axel Herny said the two Flock cameras owned by the city will be removed in the interim while the council request and county contracts are addressed.
- Sheriff Bob Fletcher defended Ramsey County’s Flock contract, saying ALPRs are “one of the best technologies” he’s used, that 20 county sergeants can run searches (audited every two weeks), and he credited the cameras with steep drops in violent crime and auto thefts in recent years.
- The Crystal Police Department permanently ended its use of Flock Safety ALPRs after resident concerns about privacy and data sharing, physically removed all six cameras to return to the vendor, and terminated interagency data sharing for the remainder of the current retention period.
- Flock will cut its default data-retention period and announced company-wide changes: default retention will drop from 30 days to 7 days, an offense filter will block sharing for immigration enforcement, and an 'audit assistance' tool will be required to flag abnormal camera usage.
- Vandalism and theft have surged against ALPRs statewide: Edina and Plymouth reported multiple cameras visibly disabled (including a unit found in pieces), and Winona had all eight Flock cameras cut down and stolen between July 29 and Aug. 1.
- Public pushback has produced mixed outcomes: a growing list of Minnesota jurisdictions (including Duluth, West St. Paul, Columbia Heights, North Branch, Isanti County, Sherburne County and Winona) have paused or ended Flock contracts, while some cities like Wyoming renewed theirs; residents are organizing locally (e.g., St. Louis Park) and a coordinated 'National Week Against automated license plate readers' is expected to escalate debate.
📰 Source Timeline (13)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
September 09, 2026
9:13 PM
Crystal drops Flock cams after community concerns
New information:
- Crystal Police Department has permanently ended its use of Flock Safety automated license plate readers after community concerns.
- All six Flock cameras in Crystal have been physically removed and are being returned to the vendor.
- Crystal PD has terminated all existing ALPR data sharing with other agencies for the remainder of its current data-retention period.
- Chief Brian Hubbard says residents’ concerns about privacy, data collection/sharing, state-law compliance and potential misuse drove the decision, and the department chose a full exit rather than a temporary pause.
August 27, 2026
3:06 AM
St. Paul City Council calls for end to Flock cameras — but stops short of a ban
New information:
- The St. Paul City Council unanimously passed a resolution formally calling for an end to Flock camera use in both the City of St. Paul and Ramsey County.
- The resolution cannot directly ban the cameras but directs its request to the mayor's office and Ramsey County commissioners and requires the administration to report back on progress within 60 days.
- Mayor Kaohly Her and St. Paul Police Chief Axel Herny issued a joint statement saying the two Flock cameras owned by the city will be removed in the interim.
- Public commenters raised broader concerns about surveillance tools, including opposition to a Skydio contract and references to "hundreds of warrantless searches related to protests" using such systems.
- Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher reiterated his defense of Flock cameras, acknowledging data‑retention limits should exist but insisting the technology is still needed to solve crimes.
August 26, 2026
11:00 PM
Flock cameras praised by Anoka Co. Sheriff after it led to scam arrest, charges
New information:
- Anoka County Sheriff's Office says Flock cameras were used to help identify and arrest 33-year-old Santino Thomas Dillon Marks after a July 16 driveway scam and burglary in Lindwood Township involving $14,000 in cash.
- Charging documents allege Marks unsolicitedly offered to seal an elderly victim’s driveway, took $14,000 cash, did partial work, and while the victim was lured to the back of the house a second suspect entered and stole items from a safe, including the home deed, military discharge papers, and a coin collection.
- Deputies first located photos of the suspect’s car on Facebook, then used Flock ALPR hits to track him to Andover, where he was arrested; investigators say Marks is suspected in similar scams across Minnesota and Wisconsin and has no ties to the state beyond alleged criminal activity.
- The Anoka County Sheriff’s press release explicitly touts the case as proof that Flock technology helps protect “vulnerable residents” and “hold criminals accountable,” underscoring the department’s pro‑Flock stance while St. Paul considers ending its contract.
August 24, 2026
11:33 PM
St. Paul Flock cam debate: How does the technology work?
New information:
- St. Paul City Council will hold a special public meeting on Flock cameras at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday at City Hall to let residents weigh in.
- Council President Rebecca Noecker, in a social-media video, accuses Flock of selling local data into a national database and says she will author a resolution to end the contract; local law enforcement publicly label those claims ‘misinformation.’
- Jeff Potts of the Minnesota Police Chiefs Association and Ramsey County sergeants give a detailed operational description: St. Paul owns two Flock cameras at Kellogg Boulevard and Smith Avenue; Flock says the camera owner owns the data; ALPR data are stored locally but can be shared with other jurisdictions under state rules.
- The piece explains Minnesota’s ALPR law limits data retention to 60 days unless tied to an active investigation and requires audits of the systems every two years.
- Ramsey County sergeants describe how searches are conducted, including a requirement to enter a case number, reason, crime type, and date/time before running a plate, and explain use of ‘hotlists’ for missing persons, stolen vehicles, and warrants.
- The story notes that some departments, such as St. Louis Park, use public Flock transparency portals that show camera counts, hit volumes, manual searches, and cross-jurisdictional data sharing patterns, including data received from cities like Fort Worth, Texas and private entities like Home Depot.
August 22, 2026
2:18 AM
Flock cameras in St. Paul: Sheriff Fletcher says license plate readers cut auto theft 70%
New information:
- Fletcher now publicly claims a 40% drop in violent crime over three years and a 70% drop in auto thefts in Ramsey County over the same period, which he attributes to Flock cameras.
- He cites a chart showing violent crime down 40%, auto thefts down 61% over three years plus another 13% this last year, which he equates to a 70% reduction in auto thefts in three years.
- Fletcher states that his office audits Flock searches every two weeks, deletes data, and that they "fire" bad cops "as fast as we can identify them," directly addressing privacy and misuse concerns.
- The story confirms St. Paul City Council President Rebecca Noecker is expected to formally introduce her anti-Flock resolution at Wednesday’s council meeting, escalating the policy fight.
- FOX 9 notes Noecker did not respond to a request for comment after Fletcher publicly called her out by name in his Facebook Live defense of Flock.
August 21, 2026
12:00 AM
Ramsey County sheriff defends Flock cameras as St. Paul council moves to cut contract
New information:
- St. Paul City Council President Rebecca Noecker publicly called for ending both city and Ramsey County contracts with Flock in a social media video, citing privacy and immigration concerns.
- The St. Paul City Council scheduled a special hearing on Flock cameras and automated license plate readers for 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, August 26.
- St. Paul Police currently own just two Flock cameras and say they have no plans to add more, while the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office owns the other 11 Flock units within city limits.
- Sheriff Bob Fletcher flatly rejected ending his office’s Flock contract, calling ALPRs “one of the best technologies” in his 40‑year career and claiming they helped drive down carjackings and auto thefts over the past three years.
- Fletcher said 20 Ramsey County sergeants can search Flock’s database and that those searches are audited every two weeks, and he outlined a policy of case‑by‑case data sharing with outside agencies who must provide a case number and a specific crime under investigation.
August 14, 2026
10:01 PM
Flock camera backlash: Some Minnesota cities keep license plate readers despite privacy concerns
New information:
- Confirms that St. Louis Park residents are now actively organizing to end their city's Flock contract, adding them to the list of pushback cities.
- Documents that Wyoming, Minnesota, has just renewed its Flock contract for four cameras, over at least one council member’s objection that the system produced only two leads in a year.
- Provides detailed on-the-record comments from Wyoming Police Chief Neil Bauer about his internal auditing practices and tight limits on data sharing with other agencies.
- Frames and dates a coordinated "National Week Against automated license plate readers" that is expected to escalate public debate and pressure on local councils.
- Restates Flock’s national scale—about 20 billion plate reads a month with a claimed 93% accuracy—in the context of Minnesota policy fights, giving residents a sense of how large and error-prone the network could be.
1:10 PM
Flock cameras: Company announces changes to data retention, offense filtering
New information:
- Flock will cut its default data-retention period from 30 days to 7 days.
- The company is adding an offense filter that allows cities to share plate data for crimes but not for immigration enforcement.
- Flock will require all law-enforcement customers to use an 'audit assistance' tool that flags abnormal camera usage and has already been used to identify alleged officer misuse.
- Public tools like DeFlock are mapping Flock camera locations and suggesting routes to avoid them, underscoring how widespread the network is and how residents are actively trying to steer clear.
- The article recaps a growing list of Minnesota agencies that have ended or paused Flock contracts, tying those decisions explicitly to community trust and backlash: Duluth, West St. Paul, Columbia Heights, North Branch, Isanti County, Sherburne County, and Winona.
August 12, 2026
10:44 PM
Winona PD won't replace stolen Flock cameras
New information:
- All eight of Winona’s Flock cameras were cut down and stolen between July 29 and Aug. 1, discovered when the system showed no activity.
- Winona Police Department publicly stated Flock had been effective and had not been misused locally but said its use was adding to "growing concerns about trust in policing."
- Winona PD has decided not to reinstall any Flock cameras and says any future advanced tech will require "meaningful dialogue" with the community first.
- The thefts occurred at four highway intersections where cameras were mounted in pairs, with severed poles left nearby.
August 11, 2026
3:13 AM
Minnesota cities pull back on Flock cameras amid public pushback
New information:
- North Branch Mayor Kevin Schieber has paused the city’s Flock contract and physically covered the three cameras already installed after resident pushback about mass surveillance and government overreach.
- Isanti County Sheriff Wayne Seiberlich says his office will discontinue use of Flock cameras when an eight‑camera free trial ends in August, citing an overwhelming volume of alerts rather than any specific abuse.
- West St. Paul has suspended its Flock contract and Columbia Heights voted earlier this summer to end its relationship with Flock, making them among the first metro cities to formally step back.
- Local officials report growing public concern that camera proliferation has reached a breaking point, and some communities have experienced vandalism and removal of Flock units as part of the backlash.
August 07, 2026
2:31 AM
Edina, Plymouth among Minnesota cities hit by license plate camera vandalism
New information:
- Confirms three Flock automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras in Edina were hit with red spray paint on a single night, visibly disabling the equipment.
- Reports that Plymouth has had two ALPR cameras vandalized in the past month, including one camera found in pieces at the base of its pole; Plymouth has 18 ALPR units citywide.
- Lists additional Minnesota jurisdictions reporting ALPR camera vandalism/theft: Anoka County, Eden Prairie, Minnetonka, Prior Lake and Winona.
- Quotes Plymouth Police Chief Erik Fadden saying ALPR issues have become the thing that "probably takes up most of my time" in recent weeks due to resident calls.
- States each Flock camera costs roughly $3,000 per year and notes state law requires ALPR data deletion within 60 days, with many departments, including Plymouth, purging after 30 days.
- Highlights that websites and apps publicly map camera locations, which police say may be making them easy targets for vandals.
- Includes a Flock corporate statement arguing that vandalizing cameras is illegal and can prevent Amber Alerts, missing-person alerts and violent-crime leads from reaching officers.
July 31, 2026
9:33 PM
Faribault man charged with stealing Flock camera he claimed tracked him in city
New information:
- Rice County charged Faribault resident Justin Lee Campbell, 41, with interfering with emergency communications, theft of movable property, and fourth-degree property damage for allegedly stealing a Flock camera on July 27, 2026.
- Complaint says Campbell had repeatedly talked in a local store about Flock cameras tracking him entering and leaving Faribault, then allegedly cut the cables, removed the camera at Lyndale Ave S and Highland Place, taped over its lens, and later brought it into the store bragging he’d taken it.
- Faribault police executed a search warrant, recovered the camera with the matching serial number and tape over the lens at Campbell’s property, and linked him to store surveillance and a backpack seen in the footage.
- Charging documents explain Faribault’s contract with Flock to use automated license plate readers to aid criminal investigations, locate missing people, and push Amber/KOPS alerts directly to officers and dispatch.
July 09, 2026