St. Paul removing Flock cameras after residents raise privacy concerns
The short version: St. Paul is pulling Flock cameras after residents pushed back on surveillance and data handling, proving organized pressure can actually roll back ALPR networks.
Our Take
Credit to WCCO - CBS Minnesota for covering a story that doesn't happen nearly often enough: a city actually reversing course on Flock Safety cameras. St. Paul officials leaned on the usual "it helped solve a crime" talking points, but residents weren't buying the tradeoff once they started asking who else sees this data, how long it's kept, and what happens when it's shared with agencies outside city limits.
This is the pattern we track constantly at DeFlock: police departments roll out ALPR networks quietly, tout a handful of solved cases, and hope nobody asks about the other 99.9% of scans that capture innocent people's daily movements and get stored or shared with zero judicial oversight. St. Paul residents did the work — they showed up, asked hard questions, and forced accountability. That's the blueprint.
If you want to see whether Flock or other ALPR systems are already watching your neighborhood, check our camera map. And if St. Paul's story gives you an idea for your own city council meeting, our take-action resources can help you get started.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of WCCO - CBS Minnesota, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.