Several Lakeville residents used the public‑comment period at the Jan. 5 Lakeville City Council meeting to urge the council to end the city’s contract with Flock automated license‑plate‑reader cameras, citing privacy, legal and cybersecurity concerns.

Alicia Schulp, who gave her address to the record, framed the issue as a civil‑liberties one: “This is not about politics. This is about whether we accept a system that allows a government to track people's medical choices, their movements, and their lives without consent or suspicion of wrongdoing,” she said, and asked the council to “terminate the Flock camera contract, reject mass surveillance, [and] protect the privacy, dignity, and the freedom of the people you represent.”

Jacob Borealis said he will submit a white paper identifying more than 40 known security issues with Flock cameras and raised specific cybersecurity concerns, telling the council that some cameras have been found “streaming directly to the Internet with no encryption, no security requirements” and that “anyone can watch this footage.” He asked whether Lakeville’s IT director had reviewed security and whether a cybersecurity audit had been done prior to approving the cameras. Borealis cited lawsuits and state‑level action in other cities as evidence of broader legal risk.

Dane Schneeman, who said he has worked in aerospace and defense, urged the council to consider reports that Flock systems have been used to search on behalf of federal immigration authorities. Describing a personal account of an enforcement action nearby, he said, “We don't need automatic camera readers in our town. Our neighbors don't need them. They're dangerous.”

Council did not take formal action during the meeting; the mayor closed public comment and encouraged speakers to provide contact information so staff could follow up. Speakers requested a legal review of data‑sharing practices, an audit of cybersecurity controls, and formal reconsideration of the city's approval of the camera system.

Why it matters: automated license‑plate readers collect location data across residents, visitors and vehicles; speakers argued that without strict limits or audits such systems can be repurposed beyond vehicle‑theft prevention. The council did not announce immediate next steps on the contract at the Jan. 5 meeting.