From Newsgroup: alt.privacy

The moves come as the license plate readers are debated on
constitutional grounds and are vandalized in Minnesota and beyond.

Duluth has joined other communities in Minnesota and across the country
that are pulling the plug on the hotly debated devices, while another is weighing a halt to installation midway into the process.

The growing hesitancy in Minnesota and beyond comes amid a groundswell
of criticism rCo and sometimes vandalism rCo over whether the
license-reading cameras violate driversrCO privacy rights, as well as
being used to enforce the federal immigration crackdown.

The Duluth Police Department announced Tuesday that it will let its grant-funded one-year contract with Flock run out, effective Sept. 7,
without renewing.

The move comes even though police said in the announcement that the
license plate readers have rCLalready proven beneficial in solving
significant crimes in our community to include homicides and stolen vehicles.rCY

Duluth, with roughly 88,000 residents, is the largest municipality so
far in Minnesota to reverse course regarding Flock cameras as public
pushback grows across the state.

On Monday, Duluth police told the Minnesota Star Tribune that officials
have recorded six times when the departmentrCOs cameras were either stolen
or vandalized.

According to the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA), Duluth has
been operating nine license plate-reading cameras.

This week, North Branch in east-central Minnesota is scheduled to
consider hitting the brakes on accepting Flock cameras, according to
Police Chief Dan Meyer.

The North Branch City Council approved a three-year contract in May for
seven cameras. Three have been installed and await being turned on until
all the cameras are in place, the chief said. TheyrCOve been covered to indicate they are not in use and to thwart vandalism, Meyer said.

But there have been second thoughts.

rCLThe city held a community information meeting last Wednesday to discuss
the project and address questions and concerns from residents,rCY Meyer
said. rCLTomorrow night [Wednesday], the City Council is expected to
discuss whether to place an indefinite pause on the project or cancel
the contract altogether.rCY

Twin Cities Suburbs

Twin Cities suburbs restrict license plate data after Star Tribune investigation Meyer said he believes the license plate readers rCLcan be a valuable public safety tool, but we also recognize the importance of maintaining public trust.rCY

In Isanti County, Sheriff Wayne Seiberlich has decided to end a test run
of the crime-fighting technology, despite praising the effectiveness and defending the constitutionality of the license plate readers scanning
his highways.

In a Facebook post, Seiberlich explained that his decision to halt the
no-cost evaluation, which began in April, by the end of August rCLis based
on budgetary needs and the need for this technology versus want.rCY

The sheriff said the cameras cost $3,000 each during the first year of
its leasing contract. The county has been operating its eight cameras at
five key entry points on well-traveled highways, and they have recorded vehicles roughly 3 million times.

rCLIn addition to these not fitting within budget priorities, we donrCOt
have the staffing to use the data effectively and efficiently,rCY
Seiberlich said in an interview.

rCLFrom a budgetary perspective, I must decide if this money could be put toward other current needs, such as improvements within our jail,rCY his Facebook post read.

During the trial period, the sheriff wrote, his office heard feedback
about potential privacy violations, third-party access to data collected
by Flock and rCLbroader concerns about government overreach through the collection and retention of license plate information.rCY

The sheriff added that his officerCOs review failed to rCLidentify any
credible evidence demonstrating that Flock itself had improperly shared customer data.rCY

In an interview, Seiberlich said his office has shared no license plate
reader (LPR) information with federal agencies rCo such as Homeland
Security rCo or agencies outside of the state.

But, he said, rCLwe have [arrangements] in place with agencies in
Minnesota who also use the system, and that ... allows their access to
our records.rCY

He pointed out that LPRs in his county do not include facial recognition technology, nor do they track a vehiclerCOs movements after it passes a
camera. All data collected by the system is permanently deleted after 30
days.

rCLThe purpose of this trial was to determine whether this technology
could provide meaningful public safety benefits,rCY the sheriff wrote. rCLI believe we have shown that it can.rCY

Just in July, the sheriff disclosed, LPRs generated 35 notifications of
vehicle owners with arrest warrants, five stolen vehicle plates and four
stolen vehicles.

Seiberlich said Monday the cameras also have provided critical
information rCLregarding Amber and Silver Alerts [for endangered missing children or vulnerable seniors], but the cameras only notify our agency
once a vehicle passes a camera. It doesnrCOt track where that vehicle goes beyond the initial contact. ... With such minimal staffing many vehicles
are never located.rCY

West St. Paul pulls the plug
In West St. Paul, a statement from City Manager Nate Burkett said its
contract with Flock on a trial basis has been suspended and all the
cameras should be down by the end of the week.

According to the BCA, West St. Paul has been operating 10 license
plate-reading cameras.

While a review of how the city used the cameras rCLfound no indication
that we used it for anything other than legitimate local law
enforcement. ... The concern that has grown around this technology is
not about our people,rCY Burkett said. rCLIt is about the system itself, and whether a tool like this belongs in West St. Paul before the community understands and trusts it.rCY

Removing the system will at times make police work more difficult, the
city manager acknowledged, rCLfrom identifying people who commit crimes to finding a vulnerable person who has gone missing. ... On balance, I have concluded that carrying forward a system the community does not yet
trust costs this city more than it returns.rCY

Vandals have targeted cameras in many Minnesota communities. Winona
disclosed last week that all eight of its license plate readers [LPRs]
were swiped after their metal mounting poles were cut down with a saw.

Edina reported at least nine similar acts of vandalism spread over the
past several months. One person has been charged in the state so far
during this onslaught with downing a camera; that case occurred in
Faribault.

Isanti CountyrCOs Seiberlich told the Minnesota Star Tribune on Monday
that three of his officerCOs eight cameras rCLhave been cut down.rCY

Back in June, Columbia Heights ended its Flock contract and put black
plastic over its cameras due to data sharing concerns.

Flock cameras in 49 states
According to the New York Times, FlockrCOs 120,000 cameras can be found alongside roads in every state but Alaska, allowing law enforcement
officers to see within seconds where a car might be and where it has
been. The company has contracts with 7,000 law enforcement agencies,
which is 40% of all departments in the United States.

Other companies sell license plate tracking services, but Flock has
become a lightning rod because of its rapid expansion, the ubiquity of
its cameras and the number of controversies involving its product.

Flock CEO Garrett Langley started the company because he was troubled by
the many vehicle break-ins in his Atlanta neighborhood, the Times
reported. When he asked police why they were unable to catch the
thieves, Langley said he was told they needed the perpetratorsrCO license
plate numbers.

When Flock was founded in 2017, it sold devices largely to homeownersrCO associations. But in 2020, it began working with police departments.
According to the Times, Langley had his SUV stolen that year, and Flock
cameras helped find it.

Looking ahead, Langley told the Times, rCLItrCOs going to be an ongoing
debate probably forever. We should have this debate, and we should
continue to evolve our point of view as a society of what werCOre
comfortable with and what level of safety we want.rCY

https://www.startribune.com/minnesota-sheriff-taking-down-flock-cameras-d espite-defending-the-technology/601877050
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