Flock grounded: Duluth Police Department ends license plate reader contract
The short version: Duluth PD dropped its Flock Safety contract, proving that public pressure can ground license plate reader programs before they become permanent infrastructure.
Our Take
Northern News Now is reporting that the Duluth Police Department has ended its contract with Flock Safety, pulling the plug on a license plate reader network before it could fully entrench itself. We don't have all the details on what drove the decision, but the broader pattern is familiar: these systems get rolled out quietly, then scrutiny catches up once residents realize their daily movements are being logged by cameras they never voted on.
This matters because Flock's pitch is always the same — a few cameras to help solve crimes — but the real product is a searchable database of everywhere your car has been. Once a department signs on, the data-sharing agreements, vendor lock-in, and mission creep tend to follow. A canceled contract in Duluth is a reminder that these deals aren't permanent fixtures; they can be unwound when a community pushes back or elected officials actually ask hard questions.
If you want to see whether ALPR cameras are already watching your own streets, check our camera map, and if you'd rather not wait for your city council to notice, our take-action page has concrete steps for pushing back before the next contract gets signed.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of Northern News Now, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.