Flock cameras in St. Paul: Sheriff Fletcher says license plate readers cut auto theft 70%

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - St. Paul City Council President Rebecca Noecker is pushing to end the city's ties with Flock, a license plate reader company, while Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher is fighting back — saying the cameras are making the county safer.

Flock cameras at the center of the fight

Noecker posted a video on social media raising concerns about privacy and how residents' data could be used. In response, Fletcher took to Facebook Live to defend the technology, joined by a sergeant and another deputy.

What we know:

Fletcher pointed to crime numbers he says prove Flock is working in Ramsey County.

"Flock has been very instrumental in helping us reduce crime here in Ramsey County, I can't overstate how it has helped us chop crime," said Fletcher. "I'm going to show you a little chart here. In fact, violent crime for three years down 40%, and you'll see on this chart that auto thefts are even down 61%. But more than that, this last year, auto thefts are down another 13%. A 70% reduction in Ramsey County in three years regarding auto thefts."

Fletcher also addressed the data privacy concerns Noecker says her constituents have raised, saying his department does not want bad actors misusing the system.

What they're saying:

Fletcher pushed back on concerns about how the data is being handled.

"Does it need to be managed and audited? We audit every two weeks. We delete. Yes, we should be required, and we do it anyhow. We don't like bad cops," said Fletcher. "In fact, we fire them as fast as we can identify them."

Fletcher called out Noecker by name during his Facebook Live. FOX 9 reached out to Noecker after that, but she did not respond.

What we don't know:

It remains unclear how the St. Paul City Council will vote on Noecker's resolution.