Documented Incident
Wilder, Idaho council rejects citizen-drafted Flock ban; measure heads to 2027 ballot
Event: September 1, 2026 · First reported: September 2, 2026 · 2 sources
On Sept. 1, 2026, the Wilder, Idaho, City Council declined to adopt the "Wilder Community Privacy and Data Sovereignty Act," a voter-initiated ordinance that would have banned Flock Safety cameras and other automated license plate readers while also restricting how the city of about 1,700 stores and accesses all surveillance footage. Council members split 2-2, with Paul Allen and John Bechtel in favor and Cindy Butler and Patti Jackson opposed, and Mayor Justin Devenberg cast the deciding no vote, saying the measure went far beyond ALPRs and was too broad for a small town. Initiative author Tyler Cain, a co-founder of De-Flock Idaho, said he intentionally included cloud data storage because of concerns about where city camera data goes and that he adopted every change recommended by the city attorney. Because the council did not enact it, the question now goes to Wilder voters in November 2027.
Wilder's split vote shows how the scope of a surveillance ordinance — ALPR-only versus a broader data governance overhaul — can determine whether it passes, a drafting question facing other small communities weighing similar measures.
Key facts
- Council deadlocked 2-2; Mayor Justin Devenberg broke the tie against the ordinance, which he said reached beyond ALPRs into the city's entire data and security systems.
- Wilder has three Flock cameras; residents on nearby streets told the Idaho Statesman they were unaware of them.
- Tyler Cain filed a tort claim against Wilder in June alleging the cameras were acquired outside the law; an Idaho Attorney General investigation found the city's contract with Flock was legal. Cain has also filed claims in Caldwell and Twin Falls.
- The Idaho Statesman reported that ICE and other federal agencies accessed Nampa ALPR data more than 100 times between June 1 and July 31.
- On Aug. 31, U.S. Rep. Russ Fulcher, R-Idaho, signed on to the PRIVACY Act, a bill that would require federal agencies to obtain a warrant before accessing local ALPR data.
- The initiative goes before Wilder voters in November 2027.
Sources
This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.
- Voters in this Idaho city will decide the fate of Flock cameras - Wed, 02 Sep 2026 PST (Spokesman, September 2, 2026)
- Voters in this Idaho city will decide the fate of Flock cameras (Idaho Statesman, September 2, 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 3, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.