Minnesota city with a high-profile Flock camera error not planning to make changes

Our Take

Credit to KARE 11 for digging into a story that should worry anyone who thinks these systems are infallible: a Minnesota city tied to a high-profile Flock camera error is choosing to keep the network running as-is, even while other cities nearby are pumping the brakes or walking away entirely. That split response says a lot about how differently local governments weigh a documented mistake that put an innocent driver in the crosshairs of a police stop.

This is the pattern we keep seeing nationwide: a system billed as a precision tool for public safety produces a false positive with real consequences, and instead of an independent audit or a pause, the response is a shrug and a promise that it 'rarely happens.' Rare isn't the same as never, and when the error involves a misidentified plate sending armed officers toward someone who did nothing wrong, 'rarely' is cold comfort to the person on the receiving end. Cities that double down without adding transparency, audit trails, or accountability measures are betting residents won't ask hard questions.

If your city has Flock cameras — or is being pitched on them — this is exactly the kind of incident to bring up at the next council meeting. Check our camera map to see what's already deployed near you, and visit our take-action page for tools to push your local officials toward real oversight instead of just trusting the vendor's talking points.