Ramsey County sheriff defends Flock cameras as St. Paul council moves to cut contract
St. Paul's push to end Flock camera contracts getting pushback from sheriff
St. Paul City Council President Rebecca Noecker is pushing to end city and county contracts with Flock, an automated license plate reader company, over privacy and immigration-related concerns. Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher says ending use of ALPRs is not an option, and calls the technology one of the best he’s seen in his 40-year career. FOX 9's Emily Pofahl has more.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Two types of automated license plate reader cameras are capturing vehicle data for law enforcement in St. Paul, and a growing debate over one of them is now headed to a special city council hearing.
Flock cameras in St. Paul
St. Paul and county leaders at odds over Flock camera future
FOX 9's Emily Pofahl has the latest details.
What we know:
St. Paul has two types of automated license plate reader systems in use. Fixed cameras from the tech company Flock are mounted at locations across the city, including one at Maryland and White Bear Avenue. Mobile cameras from the tech company Axon are mounted inside police and sheriff squad cars. Both work similarly, but Flock has come under fire for agencies outside the metro and outside of Minnesota accessing its wide-reaching database.
In a video posted to social media, St. Paul City Council President Rebecca Noecker said she wants city administration and county leaders to cut ties with Flock entirely.
"Everyone should be concerned about what Flock cameras mean for our community," said Noecker. "That's why I will be authoring a resolution calling on our administration and county partners to end our contract with Flock."
St. Paul Police own just two Flock cameras and, in an email to FOX 9 Thursday, a spokesperson said the department has no current plans to add more. The remaining 11 Flock cameras within city limits are owned by the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office, according to a publicly available list provided by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
The other side:
Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher made clear that ending the Flock contract is off the table for his department.
When asked if ending the contract was a possibility, Fletcher said, "Not in our county."
Fletcher said in the three years since the county started contracting with Flock, he’s seen a marked decline in carjackings and stolen vehicles. "Flock is one of the best technologies that we've had in my 40-year career," he said.
Twenty of his sergeants have access to search Flock's database, and those searches are audited every two weeks. Ramsey County most frequently uses the technology. However, through an alert system that pings the department when a vehicle identified as stolen, connected to a crime, or connected to a missing person passes through the county.
How outside agencies access the data
Fletcher says Ramsey County does not allow outside agencies to directly search local data. However, if another agency contacts them with a case number and a specific crime they're investigating, Ramsey County may share data on a case by case basis.
"Our sergeants will search the database for them once we've vetted their request," said Fletcher.
When asked whether that access extends beyond Minnesota, Fletcher said any agency can make the call, but his office focuses on metro-area agencies. "If someone from another state made the phone call, we would vet the information, determine, and make sure that it's a legitimate criminal investigation not involving any federal agency," said Fletcher.
Fletcher says cutting off access to Flock would cripple his department, but he is willing to have a conversation with Noecker.
FOX 9 reached out to Council President Noecker for an interview but did not receive a response. There is currently less pushback on the Axon mobile ALPR cameras used in squad cars, and no proposal exists to end that contract.
What's next:
The St. Paul City Council will hold a special hearing on Flock cameras and automated license plate readers at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 26. Noecker is expected to formally introduce her resolution to the council that same day.