Jessica Heger would not pursue license plate readers for now

Jessica HegerCandidate for Carver County, Minnesota, sheriff

Mixed or conditional

Jessica Heger said she would not pursue automated license plate readers at this time but remains open to them as privacy protections and accountability improve. She said any future use would need community input, a shown public safety benefit and defined data policies.

“At this time, I would not pursue automated license plate readers. Public safety benefits must be weighed against the cost, privacy concerns, data retention, and appropriate oversight. I am not opposed to technology, and remain open to considering it as technology evolves and privacy protections and accountability improve. Any future consideration will include community input and show a public safety benefit, defined policies for data access and retention, responsible use of taxpayer dollars and appropriate oversight. Public safety and public trust are equally important.”

Interview

Open the original interview (opens in a new tab)Meet the Candidates: Carver County SheriffAnswers to Question 3, on Flock cameras and other automated license plate reader technology

Case updates

Keep up with who wants to ban, limit or keep Flock cameras

Get an email if a candidate or official takes a new position on plate-reader networks, or if a city, legislature or court acts on them.

Important updates only. Free. Confirm your email to start. Unsubscribe anytime. How we handle your email.

A close view of a green Flock Safety automated license-plate reader mounted beside a street.
Credit: Bruxton

Where this statement fits

Should Flock-style license-plate surveillance networks exist?

Networked automated license-plate readers record passing vehicles and let agencies search or share travel records across locations. Candidates and officials disagree over whether to prohibit these networks, keep them with legal limits, or defend their use for investigations. This tracker records attributable positions on that choice, including proposals that would affect only public funding or data access.

Read the full case

Source and context

Interview

Meet the Candidates: Carver County Sheriff (opens in a new tab)Answers to Question 3, on Flock cameras and other automated license plate reader technology

About this source

Sun Patriot candidate questionnaire for the 2026 Carver County, Minnesota, sheriff race, publishing both candidates' unedited written answers.

Archived copy (opens in a new tab)

Before the quotation

The Sun Patriot asked both Carver County sheriff candidates what approach the office should take toward Flock cameras and other license plate readers and published their unedited written answers, limited to 100 words each. Her opponent, Chief Deputy Patrick Barry, answered first that he does not support deploying Flock cameras as designed without stronger safeguards and community input.

After the quotation

In a later answer in the same questionnaire, Heger wrote that she has worked patrol, investigations, crime scene team and as a 911 dispatcher, and that she now works for the state's top law enforcement investigative agency.

How this statement is classified

Mixed or conditional

The label describes this statement's response within the context above.

Why this label?

The reference point is whether networked license-plate reader systems such as Flock should exist and be used. Heger said she would not pursue license plate readers at this time but remains open to them as privacy protections and accountability improve, and she listed conditions for any future use. That is present opposition tied to conditions, which fits Mixed or conditional rather than Condemned.

Recorded on
Published here

More from this case

Read the full case

Jacob Burnett says Flock-style cameras should be done away with, with warrants required if they stay

Jacob Burnett

“The systems themselves can be modified to prevent nearly all abuse and be made more secure by requiring warrants for access or follow through on any data the systems collect and have all data stored on the hardware itself preventing viewing from remote locations, requiring strict login credentials and a connecting warrant number to access. These are common sense changes that if the systems are to be used I feel could correct a lot of abuse or privacy concerns but I also feel the systems should be done away with overall, especially in the realm of predictive crime analytics.”
Read statement

Share or embed this statement

Quote card: Jessica Heger, Jessica Heger would not pursue license plate readers for nowDownload image (PNG)

The embed keeps its attribution link to The Dispute Index. Credit the image to The Dispute Index and link to the statement page.

Cite this record

Publisher
The Dispute Index
Title
Jessica Heger would not pursue license plate readers for now
First published
Last updated
Permalink
https://disputeindex.com/events/3177-jessica-heger-said-she-would-not-pursue-automated

Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.

The Dispute Index. "Jessica Heger would not pursue license plate readers for now". First published: 2026-09-29. Last updated: 2026-09-29. https://disputeindex.com/events/3177-jessica-heger-said-she-would-not-pursue-automated