Documented Incident
Brookings residents urge City Council to halt Flock camera use at Aug. 25 meeting
Event: August 25, 2025 · First reported: August 28, 2026 · 1 source
About 65 residents packed the Brookings, South Dakota, City Council chamber on Aug. 25, and nine people used the open forum to raise concerns about the city's automated license plate readers. Police Chief Michael Drake said the Brookings Police Department leases and operates seven Flock cameras, in place since February 2024. Speakers asked the council for a study session, a moratorium on ALPRs and surveillance cameras in city limits, non-renewal of the Flock contract, and removal of existing cameras. Drake told The Brookings Register that there is considerable misinformation circulating and that he planned to address the issue at the council's Sept. 22 meeting.
The exchange illustrates how questions about data-sharing partners and search standards are surfacing at the local level, where lease renewals and council policy decisions determine whether ALPR networks expand or are curtailed.
Key facts
- Brookings Police Department leases seven Flock cameras, deployed since February 2024, according to Chief Michael Drake.
- Nine speakers addressed the council during open forum on Aug. 25 before a crowd of roughly 65 people.
- Craig Jorgensen, an Aurora resident with a computer science background, said the department has not disclosed which agencies it shares Flock data with, and that searches and alerts do not require a warrant or open investigation.
- Requests to the council included a study session, a moratorium on ALPRs in city limits, non-renewal of the Flock contract, and removal of existing cameras.
- Brookings County Sheriff Marty Stanwick previously said his office owns no Flock cameras and that his investigative sergeant used the city's cameras three times — once for a missing person and twice for criminal warrants.
Sources
This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.
- Privacy vs. protection: City Council hears worries on Flock cameras in Brookings (The Brookings Register, August 28, 2026)
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BlockFlockNow documents reported incidents involving Flock Safety cameras and automated license plate readers: council votes, contract decisions, misuse by authorized users, lawsuits, audits, and community response. Every record is reviewed by a person before publication. New to the topic? Start with What is Flock?, find meetings near you, or learn how to request your town's camera records.
Updated August 29, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.