To the Editor:

On April 6, the St. Louis Park City Council considered oversight requirements for the Police Department’s use of Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs). In light of Operation Metro Surge, increased federal prosecution of protestors and activists, and growing skepticism toward private surveillance firms like Ring and Flock, our city chose to leave the door open for continued expansion of mass data collection.

I am disappointed that the mayor and city council effectively voted to affirm their support for outsourcing public safety functions to Flock, a Georgia-based startup that records the movements of every resident driving past the city’s 16 cameras. A startup who, according to the ACLU, has shared data with federal agencies despite promises made to local departments.

While residents secured one small victory — a verbal agreement to remove agencies from our data-sharing network that fail state audits or cooperate with DHS — it isn’t enough. The city stopped short of capping the number of cameras or banning invasive future features like facial recognition and audio recording.

Without codified restrictions, St. Louis Park remains vulnerable to expanded private data abuses and expansion of data collection by unaccountable private entities. Without further changes to undo some of this, Flock will continue to track you as you drive throughout the city — on every trip to Knollwood or the West End.

There is no opt-out button.

Will Coughlin
St. Louis Park

Published in the St. Louis Park + Hopkins Sun Sailor on May 13, 2026

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