Documented Incident
Multiple Wisconsin cities and counties suspend or end Flock camera contracts over data concerns
Event: September 9, 2026 · First reported: September 9, 2026 · 6 sources
Several Wisconsin municipalities and counties have suspended, covered or moved to cancel their Flock Safety automated license plate reader deployments, citing concerns about data collection, retention and public trust. In Sheboygan, roughly 15 cameras were bagged while the Common Council prepared to vote on terminating the city's contract, with Mayor Ryan Sorenson alleging that Flock attempted to sell city-collected data back to a different city department. Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling said his office began removing cameras after learning the company was collecting and retaining data beyond what the agency understood it had agreed to. Flock Safety said customers own and control their data, that it does not sell that data, and that third-party websites publishing search audit data are not affiliated with the company.
A cluster of Wisconsin agencies reconsidering the same vendor at once tests how much visibility local governments actually have into how ALPR data is stored, shared and audited. The disputes over audit-log transparency and data ownership are likely to shape contract terms and oversight demands in other jurisdictions.
Key facts
- About 15 Flock cameras in Sheboygan were covered pending a Common Council vote on breaking the city's contract.
- Winnebago County suspended Flock use, Fond du Lac County said it was discontinuing use, and Racine County said it would remove all cameras.
- Menasha covered its cameras Sept. 1, Neenah announced plans the same day to end its contract, and Stevens Point suspended use starting Tuesday.
- Flock said it removed officer names, searched plates, vehicle signatures and open-text search reasons from its Network Audit log after roughly 200 law enforcement leaders raised officer-safety concerns, but says the data is retained by the originating agency.
- Racine County Capt. Cary Madrigal said the agency has not decided whether to replace the technology and is focused on rebuilding community trust.
Sources
This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.
- Wisconsin agencies suspend Flock cameras amid data concerns (Spectrum News, September 9, 2026)
- Wisconsin agencies suspend Flock cameras amid data concerns (Spectrum News, September 9, 2026)
- Wisconsin agencies suspend Flock cameras amid data concerns (Spectrum News, September 9, 2026)
- Waupaca County suspends use of Flock cameras (fox11online.com, September 8, 2026)
- Waupaca County agencies suspend use of Flock license plate readers (WBAY, September 8, 2026)
- Flock camera use ends county-wide in Waupaca County (WSAW, September 9, 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 19, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.