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Shakopee Flock cameras debated
Shakopee's Flock cameras are at the center of a growing debate over privacy, surveillance and who gets to see your data. FOX 9’s Mike Manzoni has the latest.
SHAKOPEE, Minn. (FOX 9) - The Shakopee City Council didn't act, but city leaders used a meeting Tuesday night to push back on what some are calling misinformation about the city's automated license plate readers.
Cameras, concerns and the facts
What we know:
Shakopee has seven Flock cameras, though only five of them are working.
William Reynolds, the city administrator, pointed to misinformation as the driver behind many of the concerns residents have raised.
Dig deeper:
Police said they do not share any Flock camera data with federal immigration authorities and have strict policies that govern access.
In addition, the department only shares its camera data with the Prior Lake Police Department, which officials said has similar policies to safeguard it.
Police Chief Jamie Pearson defended the cameras, calling them an "important investigative tool."
She said her department is also considering reducing how long it holds onto that data — dropping the retention window from 30 days down to just one week.
She highlighted recent cases in which she said the cameras proved critical, including homicide and drug cases.
Nationwide debate
What they're saying:
Shakopee's discussion is playing out against a broader, national conversation about automated license plate readers.
More cities across the country are choosing to ditch the technology altogether.
A privacy expert who weighed in on the issue said Flock is just one of many surveillance tools that police use.
Harry Maugans, CEO of Privacy Bee, said the focus should not be on eliminating the technology but on building accountability around it.
"The police aren't just going to walk away from this level of surveillance. You can't put the genie back in the bottle, right?" he said. "Now that it's here, I think we need to focus instead on putting guardrails in place and accountability and transparency – not just trying to shut down the next company that pops up."
But concerns about misuse remain.
One speaker at the meeting raised the possibility of officers abusing access to the data for personal reasons.