By Rich Larson
As debates over Flock camera systems continue across Minnesota and the nation, Northfield residents are being reassured that the controversial technology is not being used in the city and there are no plans to change that.
In an interview, Northfield Police Chief Jeff Schroepfer addressed growing public questions about Flock cameras, a form of automated license plate reader technology that has drawn both praise from law enforcement and criticism from privacy advocates. The Flock name is a brand, he said, but many companies make similar systems for the same purpose.
“Flock is a company,” Schroepfer explained. “There are different companies that make what most people call Flock cameras. Motorola makes a camera as well. Most of them are license plate-reading cameras.”
Schroepfer said there is often confusion about what the systems actually do. Contrary to some public concerns, the cameras are not facial recognition tools.
“It’s purely taking a reading of your license plate and a picture of your vehicle,” he said. “There’s no face ID or anything like that.”
For police departments that use them, the technology can be a powerful investigative tool. License plate reader systems can alert law enforcement when a vehicle linked to a stolen car, warrant, or ongoing investigation passes a camera. Information is typically compared against databases maintained by agencies such as the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
Still, concerns have emerged about how data is collected, stored, and shared, particularly amid reports that some camera systems may have shared information with federal immigration authorities.
“There’s a lot of data that’s stored in it, and if it gets used wrong, it’s not okay,” Schroepfer acknowledged.
But while the issue has generated headlines elsewhere, Schroepfer emphasized that Northfield is not part of the discussion in a practical sense.
“Northfield does not have any Flock cameras as far as the police department, as far as the city, so we have none,” he said.
Although private businesses may install their own systems, the Northfield Police Department does not own, operate, or have access to any Flock cameras. Cameras exist in neighboring communities, including Faribault and other parts of Rice County, but Northfield officers cannot access those networks without a Flock account which, Schroepfer said, Northfield does not have.
Asked whether the city might consider adopting the technology in the future, Schroepfer said no discussions have taken place with any city officials or members of the City Council. Even with budgeting conversations going on right now, Schroepfer said a camera system like that is not the direction in which they would like to go.
Rich Larson is the owner and General Manager of KYMN Radio. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
