The city of St. Paul says it’s removing its two Flock cameras amid concerns over who has access to the data they collect.
In a joint statement issued Wednesday night, announcing the removal of the two automated license plate readers, St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her and Police chief Axel Henry said they “understand and share the concerns raised by our community about other jurisdictions accessing data during Operation Metro Surge.”
Her and Henry said they met with law enforcement agencies from across Ramsey County last week to discuss the use of the cameras, and they called on Minnesota lawmakers “to create a statewide standard that creates a balance between privacy and public safety needs.”
“In the interim, the two cameras owned by the City of Saint Paul will be removed,” the mayor and police chief announced.
St. Paul joins a growing list of cities and counties across Minnesota and nationwide that have chosen to remove their Flock cameras.
The announcement came after the St. Paul City Council earlier Wednesday unanimously passed a resolution calling on the city and Ramsey County to end their respective contracts with Flock.
