MINNEAPOLIMEDIA NEWS UPDATE | Saint Paul Council President Seeks End to Flock Camera Contracts as Ramsey County Sheriff Defends System

SAINT PAUL, MN (August 21, 2026) A dispute over automated license-plate readers is intensifying in Saint Paul, where City Council President Rebecca Noecker is preparing a resolution calling on city and county officials to end their contracts with Flock Safety.

Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher has rejected the prospect of discontinuing his department’s use of the technology, setting up a public disagreement over privacy, immigration enforcement and the value of automated surveillance in criminal investigations.

Saint Paul police own two fixed Flock cameras. The Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office owns 11 additional Flock cameras located within the city, according to a list maintained by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

The cameras capture license-plate information and vehicle characteristics when motorists pass them. Law enforcement agencies can use those records to locate stolen vehicles, identify automobiles connected to criminal investigations and issue alerts involving missing or endangered people.

Noecker argues that the reach of Flock’s national data network and the possibility that outside agencies could obtain information about vehicles traveling through Saint Paul raise significant privacy and immigration-related concerns.

Fletcher maintains that the cameras have helped the county address carjackings, stolen vehicles and other crimes. He told FOX 9 that 20 sheriff’s office sergeants have access to Flock searches and that those searches are audited every two weeks.

The sheriff said outside agencies do not receive direct access to Ramsey County’s locally collected information. He said his office may conduct a search for another law enforcement agency after reviewing a case number and verifying that the request concerns a legitimate criminal investigation. Fletcher said the county would not assist a federal agency through that process.

The Saint Paul City Council has scheduled a special hearing on Flock cameras and automated license-plate readers for 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, August 26. Noecker is expected to introduce her resolution at that meeting.

The proposal concerns Flock’s fixed-camera network. No similar proposal has been announced for the mobile Axon license-plate readers installed in some police and sheriff’s office vehicles.

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