Jonathan Auberg founded The Des Moines Sentinel, which launched on July 4, 2026, and leads its reporting and site stewardship. His reporting focuses on public records, automated license plate reader (ALPR) systems, and government watchdog work in the Des Moines metro.
Flock later obtained an Iowa contractor registration. But the records gathered by the Sentinel do not document a penalty for the earlier work, an electrical exemption determination or local enforcement.
Emails show the surveillance vendor soliciting a pre-approval signature and discussing installation plans around the council vote. The available records do not establish that city officials signed early.
A 2023 police assessment names the facial-recognition company among department technologies. At publication, the records obtained by the Sentinel did not establish its cost, procurement path, use, or current status.
Eight overlapping audit exports show whole rows turning over in a pattern consistent with a rolling window. The evidence does not show intentional alteration—but it exposes a serious obstacle to public oversight.
