Flock Cameras in Wisconsin

Friday, August 28th, 2026 -- 9:01 AM

(Steven Potter, PBS Wisconsin) There’s nothing flashy about ALPR cameras and that’s on purpose.

According to Steven Potter with PBS Wisconsin, these “automated license plate reader” devices sit inconspicuously, usually on a pole and under a solar panel. They automatically read license plates and retain an image with a date and timestamp of when the vehicle drove past it.

That information and image is then sent off to the law enforcement agency that contracted with the company that operates the cameras. They’re commonly called “Flock cameras” after the most popular brand that makes and deploys the devices.

According to groups that track them, there are an estimated 130,000-thousand such cameras in the United States. In Wisconsin, it’s estimated there are as many as 2,000 of the cameras, used by more than 200 law enforcement agencies. Over the last couple of years, Flock and other similar companies have been catching flack from opponents concerned about privacy.

Calling them tools of mass surveillance that operate without a warrant, critics say the cameras invade an individual’s privacy before, and without, prior knowledge of any crime being committed. Groups like the American Civil Liberties Union call the cameras “creepy” and say the storage of images and information in national databases lacks regulation.

Further, the ACLU wants residents of places where ALPRs are used to ask their elected officials a question: “Why are we using an ALPR company that isn’t only making this data available to my town, but it’s being made available to anyone in the entire country and anyone in the entire world?”

Opposition to the cameras is showing up in Wisconsin, with reports of them being vandalized and taken down. Many governments around Wisconsin are taking action against them.

So far, Dane County, as well as cities such as Fitchburg, Stoughton, Monona and others have stopped, cancelled or not renewed contracts with Flock Safety. In the city of Verona, officials put bags over the Flock cameras after the company didn’t move fast enough to remove them.

The largest user of Flock cameras in Wisconsin is the Milwaukee Police Department. Cases of misuse of the technology by people with access to the cameras are also cropping up.

In mid-August, a Menasha police officer was sentenced for using Flock cameras for illegal surveillance. In May and July, two Milwaukee police officers were criminally charged with illegally tracking people using the cameras.

Those in favor of these cameras and tracking devices say they are an invaluable law enforcement tool that helps apprehend those who commit crimes of all kinds ranging from driving infractions to car theft and more serious offenses.

Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.