About FlockFeed

FlockFeed is a public, hard-linkable log of changes to Flock Safety surveillance across Minnesota jurisdictions. Flock operates automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras for police departments, sheriffs, cities, and other organizations, and publishes a “transparency portal” for many of them. Those portals change over time — and those changes are what we track.

What we track

We watch each agency's transparency portal for the occasional, meaningful changes — not the day-to-day counters like search volume. When something changes, we log it as an update tied to an agency, with a plain-language explainer. The change types we currently use:

• ⚫ Portal taken down — An agency's transparency portal that previously existed is no longer reachable. This can mean the agency ended its Flock contract, decommissioned its cameras, or simply removed the public page. A missing portal is not proof the cameras are gone — it can also mean the agency stopped disclosing.
• 🎯 Detection capability changed — What the cameras detect or flag changed — for example new hotlist sources, integrations, or alert types. Expanded detection can widen the set of vehicles that trigger an alert.
• • Other — A change that doesn't fit the standard categories. See the update's details for specifics.
• 🔴 Went inactive — The portal still exists but the agency is marked inactive, or its cameras are no longer reporting. This often reflects a paused or lapsed contract, a pilot that ended, or equipment taken offline. Historical data the agency already collected may still be retained and shareable.
• ✂️ Stopped sharing with an agency — The agency removed a sharing partner, narrowing who can search its license-plate data. This can follow policy changes, public pressure, or contract decisions.
• 🔗 Started sharing with a new agency — The agency added another law-enforcement agency to its sharing network. Sharing lets outside agencies search this agency's license-plate data, often without a separate warrant. Each new partner widens who can see where local drivers have been.
• 📄 Usage/access policy changed — The agency changed the written rules governing how its cameras and data may be used — who can search, what justification is required, and how access is audited. Policy changes can meaningfully expand or restrict surveillance even when the cameras stay the same.
• 🏛️ Started sharing with a federal agency — The agency began sharing its license-plate data with a federal agency (such as CBP, ICE, or the FBI). Federal access to local ALPR data is among the most contested issues in surveillance oversight, because it can pull local driving patterns into national enforcement systems.
• 🚫 Camera(s) removed — The agency's camera count went down. Cameras may have been relocated, decommissioned, or removed at the end of a pilot. A lower count does not necessarily reduce data sharing, since previously collected detections may still be retained.
• 🌐 Joined a statewide/national network — The agency connected to a broader Flock network (such as a statewide lookup or Flock's national network), making its data searchable by — or its searches reach into — many other agencies at once. Network membership can multiply sharing relationships well beyond the named partners.
• ⏳ Data-retention period changed — The length of time the agency keeps license-plate reads changed. Longer retention means a deeper, searchable history of every driver's movements; shorter retention limits how far back queries can reach. Minnesota agencies set their own retention windows, so these vary widely.
• 🟢 Portal went live — Flock Safety publishes a public "transparency portal" for each agency that uses its automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras. When a portal first appears, it usually means the agency has signed a contract with Flock and is beginning to deploy cameras — or is making an existing deployment public for the first time.
• 📷 Camera(s) added — The number of ALPR cameras the agency operates went up. More cameras means more roads and intersections under automated surveillance — each one capturing the license plate, make, model, and color of every passing vehicle, not just those on a hotlist.
• 🟩 Reactivated — An agency that was previously inactive is live again. This usually means a renewed or expanded contract and cameras coming back online.
• 📥 New agency gained access — Another agency was granted the ability to search THIS agency's data, or this agency was added to a partner's network so it can now search another jurisdiction's plate reads. Inbound access expands what a department can surveil beyond its own borders.

How it works

Portals are monitored for changes; confirmed changes are recorded in a structured database and published here. Every update has its own permalink so reporters, researchers, and residents can cite a specific change. Each agency and the full site offer an RSS feed.

Who makes this

FlockFeed is a project of FinePrint — surveillance, documented. Spotted a change we missed? Send a tip.