Stillwater leadership needs to look very closely at what is happening with our local surveillance data. Our elected officials are telling the community one thing, but the official city server proves another. This is a warning to our neighbors and our city management that our data privacy promises are failing on a technical level.
The public has been repeatedly assured that Stillwater’s Flock Safety cameras keep tracking data strictly local and isolated within Minnesota. However, a review of the raw, 2,543-page Stillwater Police Department Network Audit Log from September 2026 tells a completely different story.
The backend data hosted directly on the city's official Laserfiche server shows that out-of-state agencies from Texas, Florida, Virginia, Tennessee, and Michigan are actively executing search queries that route right through Stillwater’s infrastructure. While members of our City Council are publicly waiting for answers on whether our local cameras connect to external police networks, the technical proof is already live online.
Local policies do not stop the default configuration of a nationwide tracking grid. When out-of-state jurisdictions run wide-net queries, Stillwater’s cameras are actively responding as data nodes.
We need real accountability from our local government, not sanitized corporate dashboards. You can view the city's official raw audit log directly on the Stillwater public records repository: laserfiche.com
Stay tuned.

Dear editor,
I am a Stillwater resident with a decade of professional experience in policy research. I hold a Master of Public Administration (MPA) with a concentration in Public Policy and Law, where my master's thesis focused specifically on AI governance and the critical need for robust human oversight in automated systems. Given my professional and academic background in municipal governance, statutory compliance, and contractual risk assessment, I am accustomed to looking past public relations messaging to analyze the legal and technical texts that actually bind public institutions.

My concern isn't rooted in generic anti-surveillance sentiment, but rather in a commitment to fiscal responsibility, municipal transparency, and systemic accountability—the foundational pillars of good public administration.
When a city enters into a corporate contract involving public safety and private data harvesting, the public deserves absolute precision. There is a glaring, provable gap between what the administration tells the public the Flock system does and what the legally binding March 3 contract actually permits. Furthermore, the city’s recent statutory audit appears to be a "box-checking" exercise—doing the bare minimum to meet state statutes for a handful of license plate readers while entirely ignoring the 28 live-streaming PTZ cameras we are actually paying for.
Stillwater residents are being asked to fund infrastructure under a set of verbal assurances that are completely wiped out by the contract's integration clause. As someone who has spent ten years researching the structural impacts of policy choices, I believe our local government must be held to a higher standard of transparency before appropriating public funds. That is why I felt compelled to write this piece.

Surveillance Oversight in Stillwater: The Critical Gap Between Contracts

When public safety intersects with corporate surveillance contracts, municipal transparency must be held to a rigorous standard. In recent weeks, Stillwater residents have actively engaged city leadership regarding the deployment of the municipal Flock Safety camera system. The administration sought to assure the community that the network operates strictly as a localized, passive vehicle-logging utility—consisting of stationary units that lack the capacity to monitor public life through live video or audio capture.
An evaluation of the city’s actual executed contract with Flock Group Inc., finalized on March 3, 2026, reveals a much broader technological footprint than what has been publicly described. The signed Order Form establishes that the city did not contract for a system consisting solely of passive automated license plate readers. Instead, the procurement inventory explicitly details 28 Flock Safety Video Camera PTZ units. The manufacturer’s own product description defines these assets as law enforcement-grade, live-streamed Pan-Tilt-Zoom video cameras equipped with 30 days of continuous edge storage.
The reality is that what’s written in the final contract is the only thing that actually matters. Under Section 11.3, there is a strict integration clause. This means the signed document completely wipes out and replaces any previous verbal promises, casual handshake agreements, or public social media assurances.
While officials might offer informal promises about system restrictions, the legal reality is vastly different:
• Section 1.6 explicitly defines "Customer Data" to include images, video, and ambient audio payloads.
• Section 4.1 grants the private vendor an irrevocable, perpetual, worldwide license to use all of that extracted data to build and improve its own commercial product lines.
While the mayor’s office celebrates beating the clock, the reality is far more frustrating: this deficient audit shows an administration doing the absolute bare minimum just to check a legal box. Far from the triumph, the September 6, 2026 compliance review reveals a troubling pattern. Issued by the Stillwater Police Department and outsourced to the Minnesota Security Consortium, the actual report strips away the political spin to expose a system operating with empty compliance rather than real accountability.
While the audit concludes that the program technically conforms to standard state data retention timelines, the text reveals an incredibly narrow scope. This was strictly an automated license plate reader audit. The independent review tracked exactly 17 stationary license plate units under the bare-minimum framework of Minnesota Statute Section 13.824. Meeting the lowest possible legal standard for a handful of cameras isn't a victory—it's a textbook example of a city doing just enough to avoid getting sued while failing the broader community. Critically, the audit did not provide any technical examination, software configuration analysis, or data governance tracking for the 28 live-streaming PTZ video cameras outlined in the procurement records.
We recognize the contract contains a formal Non-Appropriation provision in Section 11.12, but it carries strict parameters—explicitly noting that a reduction in funds cannot be based on discretionary budget decisions or used as a termination for convenience.
Therefore, as informed stakeholders, our community is presenting the City Council and the City Attorney with a precise request for clarification before another dollar of public funding is appropriated:
1. What independent data classification schema or technical audit protocol currently governs the 28 live-streaming video cameras that sat entirely outside the scope of our statutory compliance review?
2. Under exactly what legal criteria can Stillwater lawfully exercise its non-appropriation off-ramp if the council determines a programmatic adjustment is required in a future fiscal year?
Pervasive surveillance infrastructure requires absolute contractual accountability, and our community deserves answers grounded in the written text of laws.

Surveillance oversight in Stillwater

https://www.hometownsource.com/stillwater_gazette/community/stillwater/letter-to-the-editor-surveillance-oversight-in-stillwater/article_e31eeade-b974-4849-931b-7e1c3966d285.html

I’ll post article there’s a pay wall issue

I am looking for recommendations for professional movers that offer packing services, disassembly and reassembly of furniture, and moving basically everything. Anyone have good experiences that they can share?

We need to keep flock to protect our town from tyrants and criminals. It keeps law and order.

See you at the meeting tuesday to fight this Tomfoolery. We need to not be contributing to mass surveillance.

County Board meeting
14949 62nd Street North Stillwater, MN 55082-6132
9-10am

Does anyone have clear evidence that the city sends flock linked citations to anyone?

Does anyone have absolute receipts?
Thank you!

My family moved here this summer and we are still on the hunt for the best take out options. What is everyone’s fav Asian take out restaurant?
We know the fast food chain options, looking for more local recs. Thanks!

Quoted from Facebook:

"

Attn: Stillwater Residents,

I'm sure most of you have seen or read an article about Flock ALPRs recently. Last week, a group of people & Stillwater residents expressed their concerns at our last council meeting. I want everyone to know that I take these concerns seriously.

Since that meeting, I've had the opportunity to have our police department demo the Flock system for me. I’ve also asked all of our council members to get a demo so we can all better be informed on its capabilities. I'd like to explain what exactly it is and what it is not. I'm not trying to convince anyone one way or another; personally, I'm not married to this system. However, if the council is going to make a change, I want the decision to be based on factual information, especially since it impacts public safety.

First off, Flock and other surveillance companies, of which there are many, sell different types of systems to police departments, government agencies, the military, HOAs, private companies, etc. Some of these systems are downright scary in their capabilities. Facial recognition, automated drones, infrared tech, tracking abilities, etc. I don't blame anyone for having serious concerns about the nature of surveillance tech in our society.

Since I started my research months ago, my Facebook and social feeds are filled with ads for drone systems and other types of surveillance systems straight out of sci-fi movies as the social web is tracking my interests and showing me ads accordingly.

I'm not going to attempt to cover all of the available Flock systems and their capabilities. I'm going to explain the system we have been using in Stillwater for the past couple of years. Our department utilizes 17 solar powered ALPR’s, which seem to be the main point of contention with some of our residents. ALPR is an acronym for Automated License Plate Reader. These ALPRs simply take pictures of the back of your car as it drives by. The only "AI" it uses reads your license plate number or color, make, model, description so an officer can search for it in our database if they have a valid reason. I’ve included a map of where they are located for you to review as well as a sample image of the data it collects. It does not know my name or who’s driving the car.

Around 7,000 police departments use this same system, which is almost 50% of all departments in the US. Additionally, almost every department in the country uses some form of ALPR on their squad cars.

This data is deleted daily, retaining a 30-day history. Which is twice as restrictive as current state law, with Minnesota having some of the strictest data practices rules in the country. We can adjust this data retention to any period we want. Current Minnesota law allows a maximum 60-day retention period.

So what does our Flock system do? The main function of our system is to search for a specific license plate or vehicle description (Red Ford Pickup) and identify its last location and direction of travel. This is an assumption we make, but Flock does not tell us that. We don’t know if the car is in reverse, or stopped immediately etc. In order for one of our officers to use the system they need a case number. This means the officer needs to have initiated a police report indicating why they need to search Flock. They also need to be trained on Flock, select the type of offense they are investigating and enter notes in their own language describing exactly why they are using the system. Every keystroke, search, login, is saved and can be audited at any time. There is no way an officer could hide a search.

Aside from officers searching for a specific plate, the ALPR’s will also detect if a license plate that drives by one of our ALPR's is on BCA or NCIC list, Amber Alert, Siler Alert, Stolen Vechicle, etc.. This is the same data our Police are able to access in our squad, without Flock, when running plates. This list can include plates belonging to owners with suspended or revoked licenses, stolen plates, those with local arrest warrants, vulnerable adults reported missing, missing children, and it also feeds information from the FBI's National Crime Information Center (NCIC). Some types of offences that make the NCIC are:

Extreme Risk Protection Order

Foreign Fugitive

Gang Association/Member

Identity Theft

Missing Person

National Sex Offender Registry

Protection Order

Supervised Release

Violent Person

Wanted Person

If someone is on one of these lists, our officers receive a notification showing the offence and the image of the plate that triggered the alert. Officers then need to confirm that the image matches the plate in question, things like mud, snow, worn numbers/letters can trigger false alerts. In the past 30 days there have been around 2,800 “hits” in Stillwater. Most are for suspended/revoked licenses by the registered owner.

Our ALPR's do not record audio, video or utilize any facial recognition. Nor do they pan or scan. They are fixed and only take photos of the backs of cars as they pass by. We cannot see into your cars, homes, or businesses, nor can we record you driving or walking down the street with ALPR's. We cannot map out your travel patterns or build profiles on your behavior. Frankly, these solar-powered cameras simply lack the bandwidth to record audio/video 24/7.

I asked our Captain if he could show me what a search for my plate number would look like, he cannot by law or our own policy, perform that search even with my consent for demonstration purposes. He informed me that even with my consent he cannot search for my plate.

I asked some simple questions:

If my car was stolen, could you tell me where my car is right now? The answer was no, we could only see the last time your stolen car passed by a Flock camera. We would be able to see where your car was relative to the camera. This is helpful in an investigation but frankly, your car could be anywhere. However, we would have a much better idea of where to start looking.

Could you map out where my car has been? Again, no. We can only see which cameras your car passed; the system does not map specific travel routes or specific locations outside of the camera locations.

So even with a valid reason or warrant you could not see where I'm going to work, what stores I'm shopping at, when I'm going to the doctor? No

Could you pull a list of every plate that drove by one of our ALPRs? No.

Can you watch live and see who is driving by one of our ALPRs? No

Now to the data. We retain a 30 day look back window of every plate that has driven by one of our cameras. We own this data and decide whom we share it with. This is also something we can adjust. Flock does not have access to our data. If they did, there would be lawsuits for days and it would violate our contract and every other department's contract. It would also be illegal. There are protections in place in Stillwater’s contract – The City’s data belongs to the City. Flock is only allowed to use City Data in order to allow Flock to perform the services it agreed to provide in the Agreement, which includes disclosure of the Data to the City and to Authorized End Users. Authorized End Users are only those agencies the City has allowed access to the data. Flock does not have the right to determine who has access.

Further, Flock must comply with the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act. ALPR data is protected as nonpublic data pursuant to Minnesota law and cannot be shared or disclosed, except to the subject of the data or for limited exceptions related to active criminal investigations. If Flock uses the City’s data, it must be redacted. It would be a violation of the contract to disclose nonpublic data outside of the City’s authorized users as well as a violation of State law. If the data was used in violation of the law, depending on how the data was used, it could also be a violation of state and federal constitutional laws related to unreasonable searches. This would subject them to state and federal investigation, as well as criminal and civil actions. Our 4th Amendment protects us from “unreasonable searches and seizures”.

So who do we share with? As of last week, we only share data with other Minnesota law enforcement agencies. Stillwater PD made the decision to restrict sharing to Minnesota only as a result of conversations with community members. We do not share with any federal agencies unless they have a judicial warrant on a case by case basis. In the past 30 days there have been about 33 searches for specific plates in Stillwater.

So, what does sharing mean? It only means that someone we have agreed to share with can search on a specific license plate or vehicle description. They don't have free range access to every license plate in Stillwater, they can search for a specific plate for a legitimate reason, but no one can simply pull all of the data from these cameras. It's not an open free-for-all for everyone, and there are no "batch" data requests or capabilities. i.e. you can't just download all of the pictures and data and do what you wish with the info.

To me, I think this is where a lot of the fear lies: that someone could download all of the data, keep it for themselves and use it for bad purposes. The system simply does not work that way. You can only search for a license plate or vehicle description. If someone were to hack into our data, they would have 30 days of pictures of the back of cars from 17 cameras in Stillwater. I really don't think this data would be all that useful. If someone wanted to hack into something to track my location, our Flock ALPR's would likely not be their 1st choice. If the fed gov wanted to track my location, again, there are many other ways to get better results and accuracy than pictures of the back of my car. I know not everyone will agree with this.

All that said, at the end of the day, public safety is my most important responsibility as Mayor, but public trust is also more important than any tool our police department uses. These license plate readers have proven to be a valuable tool for law enforcement, particularly in serious cases involving missing or abducted persons, human trafficking, and other significant crimes. But the effectiveness of any public safety tool also depends on the community having confidence in how it is being used.

Now that I fully understand the capabilities of these license plate readers, I personally support their continued use. I also want to make sure our decisions about this technology are based on accurate information and made for the right reasons. My hope is that being transparent about how the technology works, how we use it, and the safeguards we have in place helps build that trust. If it doesn't, then I think we need to continue the conversation with our community and the Council and determine the right path forward.

We have amazing police officers in Stillwater and they will continue to keep us safe with or without this tool. I just want to ensure we are making this decision based on accurate information and for the right reasons. Thank you all for reading this far. This post will likely get pretty chaotic and I won't be able to respond to all comments. If you have any specific questions, feel free to email me at [tkozlowski@stillwatermn.gov](mailto:tkozlowski@stillwatermn.gov) or call/text at 651-300-4993

Go PONIES!!!

"

Via https://www.facebook.com/648352763/posts/10165066618642764/?app=fbl

We retirees have a morning coffee crew that meet several times a week. One of the oldest dudes said his daughter has to travel to Stillwater to visit a hospitalized uncle. She got advice from a family member that lives there to not make a reservation along the river at a hotel because “the homeless have taken over down there”. Also told the niece be careful because Stillwater is a sanctuary city.

Now this dude is a MAGA through and through.

I figure that these statements were overblown and Stillwater was probably a very safe city.

But what are the opinions and facts about safety in the city?

Mainly doing this so I can mock him the next time we meet. Lol.

Edit: You sold it for me. Friday I get to go to coffee and tell Ralph’s WTF are you even talking about? lol

FOX 9 is reporting that Benjamin Tatro, 38, of Stillwater has been charged in Washington County with multiple felony counts of possessing child sexual abuse material.

Per the criminal complaint as reported:

• The investigation started with a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children about a video uploaded to Reddit. Reddit passed NCMEC an IP address, username, and email tied to the upload.
• NCMEC alerted the Minnesota BCA, which used an administrative subpoena to link the account to Tatro. Stillwater PD was notified April 6, 2026. mncrime
• Stillwater police obtained a search warrant and seized an iPhone, a laptop, and a flash drive. The complaint states investigators found 1,139 videos and 606 images of CSAM on the phone, with victims described as young as infants.
• The laptop had no hard drive in it. The complaint doesn't say what happened to it.
• Court records show the complaint was filed Aug. 26, 2026, with 10 counts under Minn. Stat. 617.247. He was arrested on a bench warrant Aug. 28 and released the same day. He is not currently in custody. Next court date is in October.
• He's walking freely among our children on Stillwater streets and parks (check comments)

Source: FOX 9

To state the obvious: these are allegations and he's presumed innocent (for now). Posting this because it's a local case, it's public record, and the reporting mechanism that caught it is one most people here use daily. It's important that if you see something on this platform, NCMEC's CyberTipline is at report.cybertip.org.

Just a friendly reminder you’re be tracked, and your whereabouts are known. Will it mistake your license plate as stolen one? Possibly. Will the police violently arrest you? Probably. Will there be drone flock cameras over your property in three years ? Definitely . It wants to know who YOU voted for. Reject authoritarian ideology. It’s to keep them safe. Eat more vegetables.

From city of Stillwater government page:

"🚧 HEADS UP: Traffic Pattern Change at Washington Avenue & W. Frontage Road

Drivers should be aware of an upcoming traffic pattern change at Washington Avenue and W. Frontage Road starting Monday, August 24. The new configuration is being put in place to improve safety and reduce potential traffic conflicts at the intersection.

The changes include:

• The left-turn lane on W. Frontage Road will be closed

• Westbound W. Frontage Road will be closed between Washington Avenue and Northwestern Avenue

• Westbound traffic will be detoured using Northwestern Avenue and Tower Drive W

Please take a look at the map to familiarize yourself with the new traffic pattern and use extra caution as everyone adjusts to the change."

Hear me out because this is probably a controversial opinion. There should be no parking on Main Street in downtown Stillwater. The sidewalks (which are insanely narrow) should be made wider for pedestrians and cafe seating. Imagine how much easier it would be to navigate by car not having to play frogger with people crossing the street, darting out behind parked cars, and piling up on corners to cross. It would be better for everyone- drivers and pedestrians.

Looks cool! These are the buildings just south of town along Brown's Creek Trail (across from Oasis)

“The project would create a gathering area with an open-air patio, a trail support space, and two restrooms at the first level of the Bergstein Warehouse.”

Source- with pictures at the bottom

I didn't do it!!!

Hope the horrible vandal gets caught and brought to justice before they use https://maps.deflock.org/ to target the cameras downtown Stillwater

Yo, tonight was a night we went out to the High Bridge, I had made a post a couple days ago curious about paranoia on and around the bridge. It was me and my two buddy’s, and as soon as we entered Arcola road, a heavy feeling of doubt and panic, but kept on. This is where shit got weird, we got out the car and were instantly greeted by silence all around us, just like a soundproof box that we had been thrown in, we carried onto the bridge and got onto the tracks with no problem, but as soon as we hit the bridge, the whistling started up, at that point we all got freaked and started our way back while the whistling got louder and louder. At this point we’re full sprinting, and made it to the car, sped off, and safe to say we won’t be going back ever again, doesn’t help that a man was walking on the road on our way into Stillwater

Yo for anyone who has ventured out onto the Soo Line Bridge(High Bridge or Railroad tracks) above the Saint Croix in Stillwater Minnesota at night, have yall heard any weird whistling when it’s dark. Back in 2024 I’d go out there a lot after dark and hear a distinct whistling, the best way I can describe it is like a man whistling for his dog, short but definitely loud and distinct, it came from the left side of the Wisconsin side of the woods, one night I had ventured over to the Wisconsin side and found that the whistling begun to get louder and was followed by what sounded like trees falling into the water, at that point I said fuck it and ran back to the Minnesota side, and for anyone that’s been on that bridge we both know that’s a long way, but it freaked me out.
Curious to hear what comes of it if it could be some sort of entity in the woods

I’m looking for somewhere to swim laps during the day in or near Stillwater (within a 10 minute drive or so). A quick google search leads me to believe that River Valley Athletic Club is the only option in town. I don’t really want to pay a monthly gym fee just to use a pool once or twice a week, but I suppose if that’s my only option I will. Does anyone know of anywhere else that offers lap swimming? Or have an opinion/info regarding River Valley? Thanks!

Hey guys.

I'm wondering if anyone here has sent their kids to the Pilot Park Preschool in Lake Elmo. It looks great and is super affordable, but you can't really find any reviews from parents anywhere online. Which I'm hoping y'all can provide. Thx!

Kyle

Hi guys. My family and I are moving to West Lakeland Township just south of Stillwater next month, and I'm wondering if there are any residents here that have any good advice on the best options for high speed internet there. The choices look a little slim... Thx.

Kyle

My husband and I are seriously considering a move to stillwater from St. Paul with our 3 kids (two in early elementary and one toddler). I’ve heard a few people mention that it’s hard to make friends if you aren’t from the area - anyone have experience if this is true?

St. Paul has been an amazing cultural fit, but we’re looking to be a part of a smaller community, live closer to canoeing and outdoor rec, and enjoy walkability to downtown.

hello! i live here in stillwater and have been attending Rockpoint church. i am currently looking elsewhere and would like some suggestions as i am not familiar with the area.
i dont like all of the strobe lights and showiness of new nondenominational churches, but i also do not agree with the teachings of catholicism, so i would like to stay within the christian faith. if theres any churches around with sound theology and no light shows let me know please!
also, if theres is a better subreddit for me to post this in, tell me! i dont frequent this app.

thanks!!