Cities struggle to terminate contracts with license plate reader company

Plymouth, Minnesota, voted to terminate its contract with Flock in September, but the company did not initially comply with the request. For more than a month, the cameras remained operational, and the city received no response. Police Chief Eric Fadden subsequently disconnected the cameras himself to ensure they were no longer recording license plates. “After hearing nothing for more than a week, I directed our staff to disconnect the power cords from the cameras in order to be sure that they are not functioning or recording plates,” Fadden stated.

Nearby Dayton, Minnesota, is also experiencing difficulties. While Flock acknowledged the city’s request and initially stated that equipment removal would take up to 60 days, the company subsequently reactivated two cameras without permission, despite a direct instruction from the police department to halt the work order. Dayton’s government announced on Facebook: > On September 17, 2026, the Police Department was made aware of a maintenance work order produced by Flock.

The City notified Flock on September 18, 2026, that the program was on hold and no work orders should be completed. However, the cameras were reactivated without authorization.

This situation mirrors a similar incident in Illinois, where Flock reportedly refused to remove cameras from Elgin Community College after the administration attempted to cancel its contract.