Dayton orders removal of Flock surveillance cameras reinstalled without city approval

Flock has reinstalled two surveillance cameras in Dayton, Minnesota, despite explicit city directions halting the program. Local officials stated on Facebook that the Dayton Police Department received a maintenance work order from Flock on September 17, 2026, prompting the city to warn the company the following day that the program was frozen and no work should proceed. Nevertheless, the cameras were mounted without local authorization, leading residents to discover and report the equipment. [1][2]

The unauthorized installations follow a formal August 25 vote by the Dayton City Council to suspend its automated license plate reader program over privacy and data misuse issues. Local police had already removed and disabled vandalized Flock hardware on August 20 to protect against further damage. After citizens noticed the new devices and complained, the municipal government instructed the Dayton Police Department to take the newly reinstalled cameras down. [2]

The incident adds to ongoing scrutiny surrounding Flock's automated cameras across the country. Previous controversies have involved law enforcement mistakenly pulling over a vehicle reviewer after an automated plate misread, as well as a company security official incorrectly telling the Oshkosh City Council that Flock systems lacked individual license plate heat-mapping features. [2]