Yahoo reported that two Flock Safety cameras in Dayton, Minnesota, were back in service in late September, weeks after the city voted to suspend its automated license plate recognition program. City officials say the vendor put the cameras back up without authorization. The city's September 29 update said police had been told to remove both.
What happened in Dayton?
- Aug. 20: The cameras went offline after being damaged or vandalized.
- Aug. 25: The city council voted to suspend the ALPR program, citing resident concerns about privacy and possible misuse of vehicle data.
- Sept. 17: Dayton police learned of a Flock maintenance work order.
- Sept. 18: The city told Flock the program was on hold and no work should proceed.
- Between Sept. 18 and Sept. 29: Two cameras were returned to service. The exact date is not confirmed.
Residents spotted the cameras and alerted the city, which then directed police to take the equipment down.
Did Flock ignore the city on purpose?
The reporting does not establish whether Flock knowingly disregarded the city's instruction. It is also possible the cancellation never reached the staff who handled the work order. City Administrator Zach Doud said Flock acknowledged the contract cancellation, according to city accounts. Flock told city officials that removing the equipment could take up to 60 days. No direct public statement from Flock on Dayton's account was available when the reporting was done.
It is also unclear whether the two reinstalled cameras were powered or sending data. Nothing in the reporting confirms whether any law enforcement agency could reach them during the disputed window.
What changes for drivers?
The two cameras in Dayton are the ones at issue here, and the city has ordered police to remove them. Cameras run by a neighboring city, the county, the state, a business or an HOA are not part of this decision and stay where they are. Nothing in this story changes how those systems operate.
What should residents ask their city?
- Does the city have a written offboarding process that requires the vendor to confirm a cancellation in writing?
- Who is allowed to authorize maintenance visits to city cameras?
- When will the cameras be removed, and what happens to data already stored?
The city's published records are collected on the agencies page, where residents can compare what their own police department has disclosed. To see where plate readers are mapped near you, check the camera map. For background on how these systems work and what they record, read how plate readers work.
The next thing to watch is whether both cameras come down and when. The reporting gives no removal date, only Flock's estimate that removal could take up to 60 days.