St. Paul Council President Seeks End to 12 Flock Camera Contracts as Privacy Fight Escalates
Updated
Updated · St. Paul Pioneer Press · Aug 19
St. Paul Council President Seeks End to 12 Flock Camera Contracts as Privacy Fight Escalates
3 articles · Updated · St. Paul Pioneer Press · Aug 19
Summary
Rebecca Noecker said she will introduce a resolution next week urging St. Paul and Ramsey County to terminate Flock Safety contracts covering 12 cameras in the city.
Privacy concerns are driving the push: Noecker said Flock feeds vehicle details into a national database, while critics cite past law-enforcement misuse and possible immigration-enforcement access.
City leaders are split. Mayor Kaohly Her opposes adding cameras and said the technology has eroded trust, but Sheriff Bob Fletcher called Flock one of the most effective crime-fighting tools he has seen in 40 years.
St. Paul police now operate 2 Flock cameras under a $50,400 contract signed in 2025, while the sheriff's office controls 10 city cameras and 19 county-owned cameras under a $67,000 annual deal.
The dispute lands as Flock faces wider scrutiny nationwide and has cut its standard data-retention period from 30 days to 7 days while agencies in Minnesota and beyond reconsider the system.