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County hears presentation on Flock Safety license-plate readers; contract scheduled for next meeting
Summary
Sheriff’s office staff and a Flock Safety representative briefed the board on automatic license-plate readers (LPRs), proposed deployment of nine stationary and one portable unit, costs, privacy safeguards and plans to bring a contract to the board for approval.
Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office staff and a representative from Flock Safety described a proposed countywide license-plate-reader (LPR) system and told the county board the administration will present a contract for the system at the next meeting for approval, likely on the consent agenda.
Deputy Craig Katzenberger and a local Flock Safety representative explained the proposed system would use solar-powered, LTE-connected cameras to capture license plates and vehicle characteristics. The pilot plan the sheriff’s office presented would place nine stationary cameras at ingress routes to the county and provide one portable unit for temporary deployment at events or problem locations.
The sheriff’s office said it budgeted $36,000 for initial costs and that the City of Emily agreed to fund one camera, bringing initial local funding to about $40,000. The vendors’ subscription pricing cited in the presentation was roughly $3,000 per year per short-range camera and about $5,000 per year per long-range camera; an installation fee of about $600 per camera was also quoted. Presenters said the subscription model includes hardware upgrades, permitting and off-site storage.
Flock representatives emphasized privacy safeguards: cameras gather vehicle-based, observable characteristics (plate, make, body type, color, temporary tags, racks) rather than personal data; data are deleted after 30 days by default unless retained for a specific, active investigation; customers own their data and sharing with other agencies is controlled and audited. The vendor said the system ties to national hot lists (NCIC), Amber and Silver Alerts and can deliver real-time alerts to deputies when a hot-list vehicle is detected.
Board members asked about data retention, audit trails, who may access the system, cost-sharing with townships and cities, and potential county IT requirements. Presenters said most Minnesota agencies with Flock participate in data-sharing networks but that sharing is configurable; NCIC and national alert feeds are automatic. The sheriff’s office said it will limit internal access, will develop a usage policy and will request county IT review. Several commissioners expressed support for placing the contract on the consent agenda at the next meeting. No final contract vote occurred at the meeting; the sheriff’s office will present the written contract for board action at the next board meeting.
