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Paul Bunyan Task Force started sharing with Crystal PD
Started sharing with a new agencyCrystal MN PD was added to the list of organizations granted access to Paul Bunyan Task Force MN data, bringing the task force's sharing network from 67 to 68 organizations. Every other field on the portal was unchanged: 22 cameras, 30-day retention, the same hotlist sources (NCMEC Amber Alert, MN BCA), and the same policy text. Two partners on the list remain flagged inactive (Brooklyn Park MN PD and Columbia Heights MN PD).
What does this mean?
The agency added another law enforcement agency to its sharing network, letting that agency search its plate data. Minn. Stat. 13.824 allows sharing for legitimate law enforcement purposes and requires any agency that receives the data to follow the same retention and security rules, but each new partner widens who can see where local drivers have been.
More from Paul Bunyan Task Force
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Paul Bunyan Task Force stopped sharing with Itasca County Sheriff's Office
Stopped sharing with an agencyItasca County MN SO was removed from the list of organizations granted access to Paul Bunyan Task Force MN data, taking the task force's sharing network from 63 organizations to 62. It was deleted from the list entirely rather than tagged [Inactive]. Everything else on the portal is unchanged from the previous snapshot (2026-09-23): 22 cameras, 30-day retention, the same hotlist sources (NCMEC Amber Alert, MN BCA), and the same policy text. Brooklyn Park MN PD and Columbia Heights MN PD remain flagged inactive. Itasca County's own transparency portal is not monitored, so it is not confirmed whether it left the Flock network or only ended this sharing agreement; no other monitored portal reported an Itasca County change in the same window. Source: https://transparency.flocksafety.com/paul-bunyan-task-force-mn
What does this mean?
The agency removed a sharing partner, narrowing who can search its plate data. This can follow a policy change, public pressure, or a contract decision. - Active ·
Paul Bunyan Task Force stopped sharing with Todd County Sheriff's Office
Stopped sharing with an agencyTodd County MN SO was removed from the list of organizations granted access to Paul Bunyan Task Force MN data, taking the task force's sharing network from 64 organizations to 63. It was deleted from the list entirely rather than tagged [Inactive]. Everything else on the portal is unchanged from the previous snapshot (2026-09-04): 22 cameras, 30-day retention, the same hotlist sources (NCMEC Amber Alert, MN BCA), and the same policy text. Brooklyn Park MN PD and Columbia Heights MN PD remain flagged inactive. The change occurred sometime after 2026-09-04 and was detected on 2026-09-23. St. Paul PD also dropped Todd County from its sharing list in the same window (logged 2026-09-22), which points to a change on Todd County's side rather than separate decisions by each portal owner. Todd County's own portal is not monitored, so it is not confirmed whether Todd County left the Flock network or only these sharing agreements ended. Source: https://transparency.flocksafety.com/paul-bunyan-task-force-mn
What does this mean?
The agency removed a sharing partner, narrowing who can search its plate data. This can follow a policy change, public pressure, or a contract decision. - Active ·
Paul Bunyan Task Force stopped sharing with Crystal PD
Stopped sharing with an agencyCrystal MN PD was removed from the list of organizations granted access to Paul Bunyan Task Force MN data, taking the task force's sharing network from 65 organizations to 64. Crystal had been added to the list on 2026-07-31, so the sharing relationship lasted about five weeks. It was deleted from the list entirely rather than tagged [Inactive]. Everything else on the portal was unchanged from the previous snapshot (2026-08-26): 22 cameras, 30-day retention, the same hotlist sources (NCMEC Amber Alert, MN BCA), and the same policy text. Brooklyn Park MN PD and Columbia Heights MN PD remain flagged inactive. Crystal PD's own portal is not monitored, so it is not confirmed whether Crystal left the Flock network or only this sharing agreement ended; no other monitored portal reported a Crystal change in the same window.
What does this mean?
The agency removed a sharing partner, narrowing who can search its plate data. This can follow a policy change, public pressure, or a contract decision. - Active ·
Paul Bunyan Task Force stopped sharing with Dakota County SO and Renville County SO
Stopped sharing with an agencyDakota County MN SO and Renville County SO were removed from the list of organizations granted access to Paul Bunyan Task Force MN data. Camera count (22), 30-day retention, hotlist sources (NCMEC Amber Alert, MN BCA) and the portal's policy text were unchanged from the previous snapshot (2026-08-19). The same two removals appeared on the Spring Lake Park PD portal in the same detection window, which points to a change on Dakota County's and Renville County's side rather than separate decisions by each portal owner. Both were deleted from the list entirely rather than tagged [Inactive]. Neither agency's own portal is monitored, so it is not confirmed whether they left the Flock network or only ended these sharing agreements.
What does this mean?
The agency removed a sharing partner, narrowing who can search its plate data. This can follow a policy change, public pressure, or a contract decision. - Active ·
Paul Bunyan Task Force updated its linked Beltrami County SO ALPR policy to the 2026 policy manual
Usage/access policy changedThe "Beltrami County SO Policy" link in the portal's More Info section changed from an older PDF on the county's previous website (co.beltrami.mn.us) to the 2026 BCSO Policy Manual on the county's current site (beltramicountymn.gov/media/wpchq1rb/2026-bcso-policy-manual.pdf). The ALPR policy text published on the portal itself was unchanged; only the linked full-policy document moved and now points to the 2026 edition of the manual.
What does this mean?
The agency changed the written rules for how its cameras and data may be used, including who can run a search, what justification is required, and how access is logged. Minn. Stat. 13.824 limits ALPR use to legitimate law enforcement purposes and requires a recorded audit trail of every query, so policy edits can widen or narrow surveillance even when the cameras stay the same.