August 26, 2026 - Special City Council Meeting

The City of Saint Paul held a special City Council meeting on August 26, 2026, focused on a public hearing regarding police surveillance technology and data privacy. The meeting featured extensive public testimony expressing concerns about contracts with surveillance technology vendors such as Flock Safety, Axon, and Skyo. Speakers highlighted issues including potential violations of state law, privacy infringements, misuse of surveillance data, and the ethical implications of contracting with companies linked to controversial activities abroad. Several speakers urged the council to end existing contracts with these vendors and to ban AI-powered mass surveillance technologies. While no formal votes or motions were recorded in the transcript, the discussion centered heavily on procurement-related concerns about surveillance contracts, transparency, and budget priorities.