City official defend Flock cams against 'misinformation' amid backlash
The short version: Shakopee officials brand public concerns about Flock cameras as 'misinformation,' but dodging hard questions about data retention and oversight isn't the same as answering them.
Our Take
Whenever a city official's first move is to label public skepticism as "misinformation," that's usually a sign they'd rather manage the narrative than answer the actual questions. Shakopee's pitch is the standard Flock Safety script: a handful of cameras, a few felony cases closed, therefore case closed on civil liberties concerns. That's not how mass surveillance infrastructure should get rubber-stamped.
Credit to FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul for putting this local fight on camera, because this is exactly the kind of story that doesn't make it past the city council minutes in most towns. Five or seven cameras sounds trivial until you remember these systems log every passing plate, feed into a searchable, often multi-agency database, and rarely come with meaningful audit trails for who looked up what and why. "It helped solve a felony" is not evidence the program is proportionate, accountable, or safe from misuse — it's a marketing line.
If you live in or near Shakopee, don't take the city's word for how many cameras are running or where. Check our camera map to see what's been documented nearby, and head to our take-action page if you want to push your council for real transparency instead of talking points.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.