Documented Incident
Manawa, Wisconsin Council Votes Unanimously to Cancel Flock Safety Contract Before Cameras Installed
Event: September 28, 2026 · First reported: September 28, 2026 · 1 source
Manawa, Wisconsin officials moved to terminate the city's contract with Flock Safety after questions arose about how the company handles license plate reader data. Police Chief Jason Severson told the Common Council that he no longer trusted the vendor following new information about its data practices. The council voted unanimously to authorize the city attorney to formally cancel the agreement. According to the police department, the cameras had not yet been installed and no searches were run through the system during onboarding.
The decision shows a municipality exiting an ALPR agreement before deployment based on vendor data-handling concerns, a step other communities weighing similar contracts may look to as precedent.
Key facts
- The Manawa Common Council voted unanimously to authorize the city attorney to cancel the Flock Safety contract.
- Police Chief Jason Severson said he no longer trusted the company after new information about its data practices emerged.
- Police say the cameras were never installed and no searches were conducted during the onboarding period.
- City officials said they still view license plate readers as potentially useful and may consider a different vendor in the future.
- Reported by TCH Daily News on September 28, 2026; the specific data practices that prompted the concerns were not detailed in the report.
Sources
This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.
- Manawa Moves to End Flock Safety Contract Over Data Concerns (TCH Daily News, September 28, 2026)
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About this record
BlockFlockNow documents reported incidents involving Flock Safety cameras and automated license plate readers: council votes, contract decisions, misuse by authorized users, lawsuits, audits, and community response. Every record is reviewed by a person before publication. New to the topic? Start with What is Flock?, find meetings near you, or learn how to request your town's camera records.
Updated September 28, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.