"The legendary Dolly Parton is dead. Days after sharing the dreams she still hoped to fulfill, Dolly Parton passed away this morning at 80 years old. This story is developing but confirmed by Dolly's team". (-Gayety)

Dolly was my inspiration and role model for what it means to be a... American Christian, and just. This hits so hard right now. Please pray for her family.

"Jesus loves me and through God all things are possible". - Dolly

Edit (from her Facebook Page):

Global icon and humanitarian, Dolly Parton, known to the world as a beloved singer, songwriter, philanthropist, actress, playwright, and author died peacefully today in Nashville, Tennessee. She was 80 years old. Dolly is preceded in death by her beloved husband of 59 years Carl Thomas Dean (1942 – 2025), her mother Avie Lee Caroline Owens (1923 – 2003), and father, Robert Lee Parton, Sr. (1921 – 2000).
A rhinestone life that shone bright enough for the world to see, Dolly will forever stand as an inspiration not only through her timeless music and prolific songwriting, but also her wit, warmth, and kindness that made us all feel like family. Dolly Parton’s legacy is one of love, compassion, and resilience. With a seven-decade career, she inspired multiple generations of artists and fans with her music and an unwavering commitment to making the world a better place. Her songs will continue to resonate with people of all ages, and her philanthropic work will have a lasting impact.
At Dolly’s request, a small, private service will be held for immediate family. Dolly’s fans and friends from around the world are encouraged to pay tribute to Dolly on social media by tagging @DollyParton or by leaving a message at www.dollyparton.com
In lieu of flowers the family asks for donations to be made to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library at www.imaginationlibrary.com

I am creating a document to showcase a synthesized and researched "Memorandum" to the city council. I have a zoom meeting with one of the Fargo City Commissioners at 3pm July 8th, so if you have any concerns or additions that are not related or directly referenced in what I have collected so far below, please comment! This also can be used by anyone else who wants to submit their concerns to their own city council if you are not a Fargo Resident. (PS, I apologize for my abhorrent formatting, I do not normally paste over from my google docs to Reddit so its a bit funky. Please read all the way through before making any judgement or comments, especially if you are a FLOCK employee, supporter, Government Official, and or a catch all dissenter. Just do it in good faith please.) (EDIT: Link to my original post is here so you can see the progression, comments and context: https://www.reddit.com/r/fargo/s/44K7jiGpO8 )

Overview of the Problem 

Our city’s use of Flock Safety Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) subjects innocent residents to mass surveillance. Recording the movements of every vehicle creates an invasive database that tracks the intimate details of citizens' lives, including their medical visits, political associations, and relationships. Recent court rulings have determined that this type of warrantless location tracking violates the Fourth Amendment. Furthermore, these systems have been notoriously abused by police officers across the country for personal reasons, such as stalking former romantic partners.

Because of the severe legal liabilities and civil rights violations involved, the City Council must take immediate action to protect its residents.

WHAT THE CITY COUNCIL CAN DO:

1. Phase Out & Cancel the Flock Contract

The most effective way to protect citizens and shield the city from massive civil rights lawsuits is to eliminate the cameras entirely.

• Acknowledge Legal Precedent: A recent Circuit Court in Norfolk, Virginia, explicitly ruled that collecting location data from Flock ALPRs without a warrant is an illegal search under the Fourth Amendment. The U.S. Supreme Court has also ruled that warrantless dragnet location tracking via third-party tech companies violates the Constitution.

2. Drastically Reduce Data Storage Limits

If the cameras are not immediately removed, the council must severely limit how much data is stored.

3. Mandate Clear Public Signage

Residents have a right to know when and where they are being surveilled.

• Install Warning Signs: The city council must pass an ordinance requiring prominent signage at every Flock camera location. The public must be made aware that their movements are being photographed and stored.

4. Strictly Prohibit Outside Data Sharing

The city council must prevent our local data from being fed into a nationwide mass-surveillance grid.

• Amend the Contract: Currently, Flock’s system allows local data to be shared with agencies thousands of miles away. This has allowed federal agencies to target

individuals

• without warrants. The council must add an addendum strictly forbidding the sharing of our local ALPR data with any outside entity, government agency, or private corporation.

5. Demand Genuine Transparency and Audit Controls

Current transparency measures are inadequate and allow abusers to hide.

• Unredact Audit Logs: Officers have frequently bypassed safeguards to abuse the system. While some departments offer "transparency portals," the public audit logs are heavily redacted and deliberately hide the names or badge numbers of the officers running the searches. The council must require fully transparent audit logs that hold specific individuals accountable for every search they conduct.

Conclusion

These cameras boast high error rates—sometimes misreading plates 1-in-10 times—which has led to innocent families being held at gunpoint. By taking the actions listed above, the City Council can stop corporate overreach, limit the city's legal liability, and restore the constitutional privacy rights of our community.

Bibliography:

Legal Precedent & Fourth Amendment Rulings

• Chatrie v. United States (Supreme Court Opinion, No. 25-112, 2026): Supreme Court ruling establishing that law enforcement's warrantless access to location history data—which provides a comprehensive chronicle of a person's past movements—constitutes an illegal search under the Fourth Amendment,.

• "US supreme court rules geofence warrants require constitutional privacy protections" (The Guardian, June 29, 2026): Reporting on the Supreme Court's decision that acquiring "dragnet" smartphone location data requires a warrant to protect citizens' privacy,.

• "Federal lawsuit filed in Norfolk over use of traffic surveillance cameras" (WVEC-TV, October 22, 2024): Details the federal lawsuit and legal challenges regarding the constitutionality of using Flock camera networks to track driver locations in Norfolk, Virginia.

Police Abuse and Lack of Accountability

• "Audit Logs | Have I Been Flocked" (Community Resource): Analyzes the inadequacy of Flock’s "transparency portals," revealing how public logs are heavily redacted and intentionally hide the specific identities (names or badge numbers) of officers conducting searches, shielding abusers from accountability,.

False Positives and High Error Rates

• "When license plate readers get it wrong" (CBS News, July 24, 2025): Explores the high error rates and false positive matches generated by these automated camera networks.

Corporate Misrepresentation & Terms of Service

• "How to Fight Deployment of Flock and Other Mass Surveillance License Plate Readers in Your Community" (ACLU): Covers how Flock’s standard "Government Agency Customer Agreement" includes terms that grant the corporation a "perpetual, royalty-free right and license" to use customer data and footage.
• "Municipalities: Beware of Changes in Flock's Legal Terms if You're Using or Considering License Plate Readers" (ACLU): Warns cities about contract language that disempowers local governments and expands data retention rights for the corporation.

Data Sharing and Unwarranted Federal Tracking

• "ICE Taps into Nationwide AI-Enabled Camera Network, Data Shows" (404 Media, May 27, 2025): Exposes how local ALPR data has been integrated into a nationwide surveillance grid.

This is just baffling to me 😭

Almost all of the anti-ai folks I’ve talked with or met on Reddit have used Ai at some point &/or focus on open-source, non-data collecting/invasive models. Very few I’ve met are scorched earth bullies as the Ai-Lovers tend to project/push.

(I tried to block out as many details as possible, just wanted to have a discussion about this.)

The Fargo Police Department's new transparency portal acknowledges important concerns raised by residents-but acknowledgment alone cannot fix fundamentally flawed technology. Recording every vehicle entering every neighborhood creates databases capable of reconstructing intimate details about religious practices, medical visits, political associations, and social relationships. No amount of logging changes the fact that innocent people were filmed first, investigated later. True privacy protection requires stopping collection at its source.

Edit: this is pulled directly from their Facebook page as of 6-7hours ago:

The #FargoPD has launched a Flock Safety Transparency Portal, making it easier than for our community to see how we use Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) technology to support public safety while protecting privacy and civil liberties.

The portal allows you to:
▪ View the number of Flock cameras currently deployed
▪ Access The Fargo Police Department's ALPR policy
▪ Review audit logs showing the time, date and purpose of each search
▪ See the total number of ALPR searches conducted in the past 30 days
▪ Explore additional resources about Flock Safety technology

Flock Safety cameras are used as an investigative tool to help locate stolen vehicles, identify vehicles connected to criminal activity, assist in missing person cases and support ongoing investigations. All searches are logged, audited and restricted to authorized personnel for legitimate law enforcement purposes.

We recognize that trust and transparency are essential to effective policing. This portal allows our community to see exactly how this technology is being used, the safeguards that are in place and our commitment to balancing public safety with individual privacy.

Visit FargoPolice.com/Flock and learn more.