Tensions rise as Minnesota man is accused of stealing Flock camera and attempting to break it

Our Take

WCCO's report out of Faribault is a small, local story that points to a much bigger problem: Flock Safety cameras keep showing up on utility poles and street corners without any real community conversation about why they're there, who's watching the data, or how long it's kept. When people feel like the only way to push back is to climb a pole themselves, that's a sign the normal channels for consent and oversight have failed, not a sign that the public doesn't care about accountability.

We don't endorse vandalism or theft, and the legal consequences here are real — but the underlying anger is legitimate. These cameras log every passing vehicle, build a searchable record of where you've been, and are frequently shared across agencies and jurisdictions with little transparency. That's a profound shift in how policing works, and most residents never got a vote on it.

If you want to know where these cameras are watching in your own neighborhood, check our camera map, and if you'd rather fight this in city council chambers than on a ladder, our take-action page has tools for that. Credit to WCCO - CBS Minnesota for surfacing this story.