Flock Safety: A National Citizen Revolt

When SCA first covered Shorewood's Flock ALPR cameras in fall 2025, few other examples of citizen resistance existed. That has changed. Citizen pressure, not policy handed down from above, is now driving the shift away from Flock nationwide.

Monitoring Driver Behavior on Hwy 7

SCA first noted the curiosity generated by an orange trailer-like apparatus that appeared in Feb. 2025 along Hwy 7 near Excelsior. The structure remains, originally as part of a $450,000 grant awarded to the then newly formed Highway 7 Safety Coalition.

Dispute: One Mayor, Two Committees

A year-long dispute between the member cities of the South Lake Minnetonka Police Department Coordinating Committee came to a head at the June 6 meeting. The issue: Is Greenwood Mayor Tom Fletcher violating the SLMPD Joint Powers Agreement by serving on both of the SLMPD governing committees?

Three New Things For This Week

• Painted Lady Butterflies • Fireflies • Hugelkultur

Three Things For You

- Emerald Ash Borer and the LRT - Asian Jumping Worms - Eastern Moles

Mass Adoption of AI is Happening Is Shorewood Ready?

Mass adoption of AI is happening. Generative AI will reach its peak in the US by 2028. Cities like Chanhassen, Plymouth, Brooklyn Park are already embracing AI and the League of MN Cities has published its 2nd set of AI guidelines as of April 26th, 2026.

SCA: The New Era in Local Journalism

In Shorewood, the retreat of legacy media like the Sun Sailor and other print publications directly enabled the creation of a "news desert"—a dangerous reality that the Shorewood Citizen Advocates (SCA) has stepped in to combat.

Youth Program Calls Shorewood Community Center Home

While the Shorewood Community & Event Center (SCEC) has struggled to change its identity from “just for seniors”, a youth program has quietly and successfully used the center as its home base for over a decade. Who knew?

Loud Voices: Shorewood Takes On $7.5B Corp.

It started with a letter that flew under the radar: A small bedroom community taking on a $7.5B national company with strong ties to law enforcement, and thanks to determined residents, bagging the spy camera and chasing it out of town. A true David and Goliath story.

Flock: Surveillance Without Accountability?

Since finding out the impact of Flock Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) in our cities, SCA has dug into a black hole of surveillance information. Flock sells itself as a friend of law enforcement and a safety advocate. It often contradicts its own guidelines. Intentional or not, those contradictions cause questions and distrust.

Flock Cameras = FBI Cameras?

If your neighborhood has Flock Safety cameras mounted at intersections in your city, the FBI may soon be watching every vehicle that passes through, in near real time, without a warrant.

Three Things

Here are three new, quick and informative articles for readers this week: - Lights Out - Monarch Butterflies - Bird Nests

Shorewood Citizen Advocates

Education