Minnesota Police Grant 0 to 100s of Flock Accesses, Raising Privacy Concerns
Updated
Updated · KSTP · Aug 20
Minnesota Police Grant 0 to 100s of Flock Accesses, Raising Privacy Concerns
3 articles · Updated · KSTP · Aug 20
Summary
More than 40 Minnesota agencies with public Flock portals show outside access to license-plate reader data ranges from none to hundreds of agencies, including some out of state.
St. Paul has granted access to more than 60 Minnesota agencies, while Stillwater and New Brighton share with hundreds; Faribault limits access to its county 911 center.
ACLU-MN said Minnesota law requires outside searches to be tied to active investigations, but once access is granted, local departments have little real-time control over how other agencies use their cameras.
Search volume can be far lower than access lists suggest: New Brighton's portal showed 11 searches in the last 30 days and Stillwater's showed 37.
Departments defended the system as a public-safety tool with audits and data-sharing agreements, while privacy advocates warned expanding AI could make vehicle-tracking networks more intrusive.