Columbia Heights leaders look to axe license plate reading cameras over data privacy concerns

Flock cameras in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, are now covered with plastic bags, as city council members are set to vote Monday on canceling and paying off the contract with the company.

There are a total of 12 license plate reading cameras around the Twin Cities suburb, which can assist in solving crimes or finding missing people.

"When we started with this, we never thought there'd be a federal overreach from our point of view," said Columbia Heights Mayor Amáda Márquez Simula.

The contract with Flock was signed two years before Operation Metro Surge, when dozens of adults and children were detained by federal authorities in the city. Most notably, 5-year-old Liam Ramos, who was detained in town earlier this year.

Privacy concerns have communities in Texas, Ohio and California rethinking the use of Flock cameras. Simula is worried that data could fall into the wrong hands. 

"The main fear is that the federal government, federal agents can get to all this data, and that we don't know who's using it, that no one's asking for warrants for this information," said Simula.

A spokesperson with Flock said their technology has made a measurable public safety impact, assisting in about 20% of solved cases where the technology is deployed, while helping locate more than 10,000 missing people in 2025.

Without the help, the spokesperson said "cases will take longer to solve, organized retail theft crews will operate with fewer obstacles, an Amber Alert may not be returned home, and victims may wait longer, or indefinitely, for justice."

Simula acknowledges the benefits, but said it is time to go back to the drawing board.

"It's a great tool, but we want to make sure we're using it in a way that's going to be the safest for our community," said Simula.