The Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office in Minnesota has officially halted its automated license plate reader program and is ending its service contract with Flock Safety. Department leadership cited growing concerns that the technology was harming relationships with local residents, as well as upcoming costs after a trial grant period.
Commander Ben Zawacki confirmed that officials disabled camera search capabilities, shut down power to the units, and began removing the devices.
A post shared to the Minnesota subreddit, according to a report by KNSI Radio, shared his quote on why they removed the Flock cameras from the Minnesota county.
“While we believe license plate readers can be a useful tool for public safety, there has been a growing backlash against how some agencies have used the data collected by the cameras,” Zawacki said. “We put a high value on our relationship with the people in the communities we serve. We don’t want to erode the trust that we have with them.
The move follows a broader trend across Minnesota, where cities like Duluth have also ended Flock contracts following public opposition and reports of camera vandalism. Discourse surrounding the decision highlighted intense frustration with automated law enforcement tools. Commenters on Reddit pointed to instances where technology misread license plate digits, leading officers to detain innocent drivers without manual verification.
Good. Just saw bodycam footage of a young couple with two young children in the car get pulled over and boyfriend cuffed because the car was flagged as stolen,” wrote a user. “Turns out the Flock cameras have misread one character in the license plate.“
Others criticized law enforcement’s over-reliance on automated systems. “And of course the bastards can’t be bothered to verify the plate before harassing the family,” commenter TopherLude posted. “‘But the computer said it so it must be true.'” Residents also expressed hope that municipalities would refrain from replacing Flock with alternative surveillance providers. “As long as they don’t get replaced with something else this is good,” stated commenter infinite_throw_away. “All that shit needs to go.” Another user added, “Can we get rid of the rest of them now too?”
Ultimately, Sherburne County’s decision highlights a growing tension between automated surveillance tech and public trust, especially in Minnesota. As privacy concerns and operational errors spark ongoing community debate, local authorities are increasingly forced to choose between automated enforcement tools and maintaining transparent relationships with the residents they serve.
