MANKATO — Last month, when a child reported an attempted abduction near Franklin Elementary School, it took police roughly 36 hours to figure out the initial report was fabricated.
And in April, while a family of geese tried to cross a Mankato street, a motorist veered their car into the family, killing a gosling. A nearby business’ surveillance camera captured the scene on grainy video, the license plate number unreadable.
In both cases, says Mankato Department of Public Safety Director Jeremy Clifton, a more robust citywide surveillance camera system could have been a big help. Instead of combing through hours of video from the surveillance systems of various homes and businesses, the abduction fabrication could have been solved in minutes. And instead of a grainy video of a goose killer getting away with murder, they likely could have tracked them down and made an arrest the same day.
That kind of evidence is why Clifton, and most of the Mankato City Council, seem very ready to approve an initial investment of $125,000 to purchase new and upgraded existing equipment, and add a mobile trailer that can be used to monitor major public events such as RibFest.
And while the council seemed open to the idea of a tech upgrade for its police department, it seemed even more open after Clifton walked them through a slide presentation that outlined his justification for the expenditure.
The biggest chunk of the upgrade — $50,000 — comes from upgrading existing and adding new Milestone cameras. These are the cameras that give law enforcement the ability to, for example, search their surveillance database for anyone with a red shirt, or a blue van near an elementary school.
Contrary to the product’s own marketing, Clifton said the AI component of Milestone’s surveillance system isn’t exactly AI. It’s more akin to an advanced search tool, he said, allowing officers to quickly review recorded footage by characteristics like clothing color.
About $40,000 will go to installing cameras around the city that are linked to the Flock Technologies nationwide law enforcement network. Flock would install cameras along roads that serve as entrances to the city, something already in place in cities elsewhere in Minnesota and beyond including Edina, Maple Grove, St. Paul, Wayzata and Omaha.
The final $30,000 would cover the cost of leasing a trailer mounted camera with a vertical pole that would get a camera up to 40 feet in the air. That piece of equipment would be utilized at events with large attendance, such as RibFest or Day of the Dead, each of which attracts thousands of visitors.
The council met for about two hours Monday. Most of the time was spent with council members plumbing Clifton’s mind on the issue of privacy and law enforcement’s intent when using it.
When the surveillance upgrade idea was initially floated, social media lit up with people concerned about the government invading people’s privacy. Council members raised pointed questions about potential misuse, data retention and privacy implications.
Regarding the mobile device, Clifton addressed concerns about racial bias, noting the cameras do not recognize skin tone and that deployment would be strategic and transparent.
“I respect those concerns,” he said, pointing out that he’s seen some of the feedback. “We’re not looking to target neighborhoods. If we deploy a mobile camera, we’ll work with residents to ensure they understand its purpose.”
Council member Michael McLaughlin, while seemingly in favor of moving forward, said he wondered if a slower approach would be more prudent, one that included oversight and perhaps an early audit.
The council debated this point a bit, a debate which highlighted the difficulty in a quick audit given the different timetables for implementing the different phases of the tech upgrade.
Mayor Najwa Massad gently disagreed.
“You have studied enough and you have brought us the information,” she said. “I believe and what I hear from the council and people just nodding their heads — I don’t think we need to do small steps, Michael. I think the presentation today and the way everything has been going, I’m feel very comfortable with the way it’s going.”
The $30,000 for Flock subscription would be an annual expenditure, as would the leasing of the mobile trailer. The Milestone fee of $40,000 would be renewed as technology advances require new cameras to be deployed.