Documented Incident
ACLU and EFF Ask Wisconsin Supreme Court to Require Warrants for ALPR Data Searches
First reported: October 16, 2026 · 8 sources
The ACLU of Wisconsin and the Electronic Frontier Foundation filed a petition with the Wisconsin Supreme Court on behalf of the Wisconsin Council of Churches, which represents more than 2,000 congregations, and Green Bay pastor Melissa Pagel. The petition asks the court to require a warrant before law enforcement searches automatic license plate reader data collected in Green Bay, Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha, arguing under the Wisconsin Constitution that aggregated location records reveal sensitive activity such as church attendance, Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and domestic violence support groups. The petitioners are not asking courts to ban the cameras. Flock Safety said its readers capture still, point-in-time images without facial recognition, and that more than 45 courts have found fixed plate readers do not violate the Fourth Amendment; the city of Green Bay declined to comment on pending litigation.
The case asks a state supreme court to decide whether compiling millions of plate photographs into a searchable location history is a search requiring judicial approval, a question on which courts nationally are split. Its outcome could shape how police in other states access ALPR databases and what oversight applies.
Key facts
- The petition targets ALPR systems in Green Bay, Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha; the Wisconsin Supreme Court must first decide whether to accept it.
- ACLU attorney Wes Haslam cited alleged misuse by officers, including Kenosha and Menasha officers charged with misconduct in 2026 over off-duty Flock searches, and Milwaukee police cutting authorized Flock users from 370 to 100 in May 2026.
- Flock cited a Santa Clara County judge's dismissal of an ACLU/EFF challenge to San José's warrantless searches; a federal judge in the Northern District of Oklahoma ruled October 1 in United States v. Kyle that a warrantless Flock history search violated the Fourth Amendment.
- The conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty sued Waukesha County and 11 municipalities on September 10, alleging roughly 3 million warrantless queries by outside agencies over three months in 2026.
- Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley signed legislation barring Flock cameras from county parks; Sheboygan removed 15 cameras, Stevens Point suspended 10, and Dane County defunded its contract.
Timeline
- October 16, 2026Wisconsin Churches Sue to Force Warrants for Flock License Plate Data
- October 17, 2026ACLU lawsuit seeks warrant rule for license plate reader data
- October 16, 2026Wisconsin Churches Sue to Force Warrants for Flock License Plate Data
- October 16, 2026WI ACLU lawsuit asks Supreme Court to require warrants for license plate reader data
Sources
This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.
- Wisconsin Churches Sue to Force Warrants for Flock License Plate Data (Hoodline, October 16, 2026)
- ACLU lawsuit seeks warrant rule for license plate reader data (Channel 3000, October 17, 2026)
- Wisconsin Churches Sue to Force Warrants for Flock License Plate Data (Hoodline, October 16, 2026)
- Wisconsin ACLU lawsuit data seeks license plate reader data (Channel 3000, October 16, 2026)
- WI ACLU lawsuit asks Supreme Court to require warrants for license plate reader data (wtaq.com, October 16, 2026)
- WI ACLU lawsuit asks Supreme Court to require warrants for license plate reader data (WLUK, October 15, 2026)
- WI ACLU lawsuit asks Supreme Court to require warrants for license plate reader data (cedarnews.net, October 15, 2026)
- WI ACLU lawsuit asks Supreme Court to require warrants for license plate reader data (WLUK, October 15, 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 October 19, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.