Flock Safety Camera Misread Triggers Armed Police Standoff in Plymouth, Minnesota

A Flock Safety automated license‑plate reader incorrectly read a stolen‑vehicle hot‑list plate, leading police in Plymouth, Minnesota, to box in driver Joel Feder with weapons drawn. The error stemmed from a misplaced plate report and the camera’s inability to recognize missing middle digits, causing the system to generate probable cause for an armed stop.

Separately, the Mount Vernon Police Department in Virginia disclosed that it operates eight Flock cameras, with six additional privately owned units. Data from the cameras is stored for 30 days and is not a public record; access is limited to certified officers. The system does not employ facial‑recognition or speed enforcement, and it logs officer searches with required justification. In the past month, the cameras logged over 152,000 unique plates and 661 hot‑list hits from FBI and state databases.