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New Prague Approves Three‑Year Flock Safety Camera Contract After Privacy Debate
Summary
The council approved a grant‑funded, three‑year contract for eight Flock Safety cameras (four license‑plate readers and four stationary cameras) to aid investigations; members pressed staff for written policy, retention limits (30 days), and limits on enforcement use.
The New Prague City Council approved a three‑year contract to deploy eight Flock Safety cameras—four license‑plate‑reading (LPR) units and four stationary cameras—after an extended discussion about public safety benefits, privacy protections and policy limits.
Police staff said the cameras are intended for investigative purposes—identifying stolen vehicles, locating vehicles associated with NCIC/COPS alerts and assisting follow‑up on calls where callers cannot provide plates. "It gives us another tool to investigate the calls that we're getting dispatched to," the police representative said. Staff said the grant award covers $75,000 of the initial cost and that Flock agreed to waive the initial $4,000 setup fee, allowing for an additional camera in the three‑year contract.
Council members raised privacy and civil‑liberties concerns. One councilmember said the cameras can feel "creepy" and asked how data will be protected; police staff replied that Flock Safety maintains its own cloud data protections and that the city will draft use and retention policies. Staff stated plate‑reader data would be retained for 30 days and that state law prevents using automated camera evidence alone to cite motorists for moving violations: "It's unconstitutional in Minnesota. We can't...stop a vehicle for expired registration and things like that based off of the camera," a staff member said.
Council members asked how camera hits would be filtered and who would set alert criteria; staff said the system can be configured to flag NCIC hits, stolen vehicles and Amber Alerts and that agency policy will govern settings, data retention and allowed uses. Some members asked staff to track metrics during the three‑year pilot—including investigative outcomes, staff time saved and any operational costs—before considering renewal.
The council approved the contract by voice vote. Staff said the cameras will be placed at Memorial Park, Skate Park, Southside Park and Settlers Park (stationary cameras) with LPRs at key roadway locations and that they will monitor use and value during the three‑year term before deciding on continuation.
