Washington County
County record. Includes every city and agency within Washington County.
Technology presence
What these categories mean
- ALPR
- Automated license plate readers (ALPR): camera systems that automatically capture, read, and log vehicle license plates with location and time, producing a searchable record of vehicle movements.
- Fixed cameras & RTCC
- Agency-operated fixed video cameras and the real-time crime centers (RTCC) that aggregate live and recorded feeds for monitoring. Extends the Electronic Frontier Foundation's Atlas, which enumerates real-time crime centers and camera registries but not standalone fixed-camera estates.
- Face recognition
- Software that matches faces in images or video against a reference database to identify or verify individuals.
- Drones / UAS
- Uncrewed aerial systems (UAS), commonly called drones, operated by an agency for overhead observation, imaging, or sensing.
- Gunshot detection
- Networks of acoustic sensors that detect and locate suspected gunfire and alert an agency.
- Body-worn & dashcam
- Officer body-worn and in-vehicle dashboard cameras that record encounters; public access to the footage is frequently restricted.
- Doorbell & camera registry
- Programs that give an agency access to privately owned camera footage: doorbell-camera partnerships, citizen camera registries, and private-camera integration platforms.
- Cell-site simulators
- Devices that mimic cell towers to locate or identify nearby mobile phones. They are often called Stingrays, or IMSI catchers after the international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) number that identifies each phone on a network. Adjacent: communications surveillance outside the visual/sensor core.
- Predictive policing
- Software that forecasts where crime may occur or who may be involved, to direct policing. Adjacent: analytics rather than a sensing deployment.
- Social-media monitoring
- Tools that collect and analyze public social-media activity for an agency. Adjacent: open-source/communications monitoring outside the visual/sensor core.
The record, by agency
Stillwater Police Department
The Stillwater Police Department operates nine Flock Safety automated license plate readers and other cameras as of June 2025. The agency stores ALPR data for 30 days.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Flock Safety
The Stillwater Police Department uses body-worn cameras, according to a 2021 audit.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): City of Stillwater - Stillwater Police DepartmentOffice of the State Auditor
The Stillwater Police Department flew an unmanned aerial vehicle without a warrant once in 2020.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension
Washington County Sheriff's Office
The Washington County Sheriff's Office used a drone at least 77 times in 2023.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Minnesota Department of Public SafetyMinnesota Bureau of Criminal ApprehensionCenter for the Study of the Drone at Bard College
The Washington County Sheriff's Office uses Visual Labs body-worn cameras, according to a 2024 audit.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): The Axtell GroupWashington County - Washington County Sheriff's OfficeOffice of the State AuditorMinn. Legislature - Legislative Commission on Data PracticesOffice of the State Auditor
The Washington County Sheriff's Office disclosed to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension that it uses automated license plate readers.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension
Cottage Grove Police Department
The Cottage Grove Police Department spent $2422 on its unmanned aerial vehicle program in 2023. The agency flew a drone 20 times without a warrant that year.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Minnesota Department of Public SafetyMinnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension
The Cottage Grove Police Department uses Motorola body-worn cameras, according to a 2023 audit.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): City of Cottage Grove - Cottage Grove Police DepartmentMinnesota Security Consortium (MNSec)
Woodbury Police Department
The Woodbury Police Department spent $634 on its unmanned aerial vehicle program in 2023 and flew a drone zero times without a warrant that year.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Minnesota Department of Public SafetyMinnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension
The Woodbury Police Department disclosed to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension that it uses automated license plate readers.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension
Bayport Police Department
The Bayport Police Department has five WatchGuard body-worn cameras, according to a 2024 audit.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): City of Bayport - Bayport Police DepartmentLynn Lembcke ConsultingCity of Bayport - Bayport Police DepartmentLynn Lembcke Consulting
Oak Park Heights Police Department
The Oak Park Heights Police Department has 11 WatchGuard body-worn cameras, according to a 2024 audit.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): City of Oak Park Heights - Oak Park Heights Police DepartmentLynn Lembcke ConsultingLynn Lembcke ConsultingLEADS Consulting
Woodbury Public Safety Department
The Woodbury Public Safety Department uses WatchGuard body-worn cameras, according to a 2023 audit.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Minnesota Security Consortium (MNSec)City of WoodburyMinn. Legislature - Legislative Commission on Data PracticesMinnesota Security Consortium (MNSec)Minn. Legislature - Legislative Commission on Data Practices
Oakdale Police Department
The Oakdale Police Department disclosed to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension that it uses automated license plate readers.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension
Source: EFF Atlas of Surveillance (Electronic Frontier Foundation & University of Nevada, Reno — Reynolds School of Journalism) · CC BY 4.0 · retrieved July 2026