Anoka County Sheriff’s Office

To confirm, ALPR technology has been used throughout Anoka County for many years. Historically, individual agencies maintained their own contracts with Flock Safety, and under this new pilot program, some additional ALPR cameras may be installed in areas that agree to use the technology. All municipalities retain the ability to opt out.

ALPR tools have already supported many important public safety outcomes in Anoka County, including:

• Helping safely recover a sexual assault victim being transported toward Mexico by sending an alert that allowed officers to intercept the vehicle in Kansas.

• Providing crucial information that helped investigators quickly move forward in an indecent exposure case involving two juveniles.

• Identifying and locating a vehicle involved in damage to fields near the National Sports Center in Blaine.

• Assisting in the identification and arrest of a suspect in a firearm assault in Fridley.

• Helping locate a suspect vehicle within five minutes of a shooting in Coon Rapids.

• Aiding in the arrest of a fugitive from Arizona found in Anoka.

• Helping identify non-compliant predatory offenders and supporting the recovery of multiple stolen vehicles.

What is new to the county is the Drone Assisted Response (DAR) technology, which allows for near immediate response to critical incidents, both police and fire, especially in rural areas where some responders operate on an on-call basis. The combination of agreements among agencies choosing to participate brings expanded lifesaving capabilities as well as meaningful cost savings. Keeping data captured by ALPR and DAR technologies secure is of the utmost importance, and there are strict policies and protocols in place to ensure responsible use.

Sheriff Wise along with all police and fire leaders within Anoka County welcome continued conversations about the use of these technologies and whether the cost is worth the benefit, which is the purpose of pilot projects. Clearly, national discussions have introduced an important perspective around this technology. The one-year pilot project costing $174,500 will be funded from within the Sheriff’s Office 2026 operating budget and took effect upon signing this month. Choosing to adopt a longer-term contract in the aftermath of the pilot project would need a separate funding mechanism that has yet to be determined.

Thanks,

Tierney Peters
Community Relations Coordinator
Anoka County Sheriff’s Office


[Note: The Change.org Civic Engagement Team reaches out to decision makers to let them know about petitions in their community and to help facilitate engagement with supporters. The above was an email response we received regarding this petition.]