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Maplewood authorizes two-year Flock Safety license-plate reader pilot amid privacy discussion
Summary
The City Council approved a two-year agreement with Flock Safety for up to 20 stationary license-plate-reader cameras (quoted $65,000/year before grants). Police said the system retains still images for 30 days, logs searches and is not facial-recognition technology; grant funding reduces first-year costs to roughly $48,250.
The Maplewood City Council voted July 14 to approve a two-year service agreement with Flock Safety for stationary license-plate-recognition cameras.
Chief Beardeman introduced the item and Lieutenant Hemke detailed how the system works: fixed solar-powered cameras capture still images of rear license plates, provide a searchable database and push alerts for stolen vehicles, Amber Alerts or vehicles tied to active warrants. Hemke emphasized that the system does not perform facial recognition or collect biometric data and that searches are logged in an auditable system; images are set to auto-delete after 30 days (the state retention allowance is 60 days but Flock's current configuration deletes after 30 days).
Hemke described cost and funding: the packet quoted about $65,000 per year for 20 cameras; an auto-theft grant reduces year-one costs by $16,750 (net $48,250) and year-two costs by $15,000 (net $50,000). He recommended a two-year pilot to evaluate public-safety benefits and operational use, noting existing mobile LPR capability in squad cars through Axon and that the stationary units would augment but not replace current tools.
Council members asked about alerts for warrants and Hemke clarified alerts are vehicle-attached and can be configured for a range of warrant levels; he said alerts can include misdemeanors through violent felonies when associated with the vehicle record. Council discussed privacy and transparency safeguards, including end-to-end encryption, auditable search logs, and case-numbered justifications for searches.
Councilmember Juniman moved and Councilmember Cave seconded the motion to approve the agreement; the motion passed by voice vote.
