Council to invite Flock representative after petition raises data-sharing concerns

Council members discussed a recent petition questioning how Flock license-plate-reader data are handled and whether Dayton shares data with other agencies. Staff told the council that state law requires a local policy for automatic license-plate reader systems and that Dayton maintains access agreements and a transparency page listing agencies with access.

"Anybody that can use or see the data from Dayton is on our transparency page," staff said, adding that agencies must show a specific investigative reason to access city data. Councilmembers asked staff to pursue additional metrics—whether data releases have occurred, how often, and to which agencies—and to invite a Flock representative to a future meeting to answer residents’ technical and policy questions.

Why it matters: The petition prompted concern about privacy and interagency data sharing; councilmembers said documentation and metrics will help determine whether policy or contractual changes are needed.

What’s next: Staff will arrange a Flock representative to appear virtually at a future council meeting and will bring any available access metrics and agency agreements for review.