Dane County Board ends Flock cameras contract, citing privacy alarms | Government
Dane County Board ends Flock cameras contract, citing privacy alarms | Government
Publish Date: 2026-04-24 06:00:00
Source Domain: captimes.com
Law enforcement agencies in Dane County have been using AI-enhanced cameras to help investigate crimes over the past few years, but the Sheriff’s Office must now shifting its strategy following a County Board vote.
The board removed $80,000 in funding from the sheriff’s budget for Flock Safety cameras, following concerns over the Atlanta-based company and how local law enforcement use surveillance software. The sheriff had contracted with Flock years ago for two dozen automatic license plate readers, which are scattered around the county.
Flock cameras are small, black devices on utility poles and are used to capture license plates and other visible information on cars suspected to be involved in crimes.
At the April 16 County Board meeting, elected officials and community members talked about concerns that unregulated surveillance software poses to people’s Fourth Amendment right against unreasonable searches and seizures in the U.S. Constitution.
Human rights and privacy researchers and advocates say surveillance cameras could aid federal immigration enforcement through “back door” access to some local police data networks. A letter from the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin described incidents in Evanston and Syracuse where police department data was accessed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The Dane County Sheriff’s Office discloses on a website what data is being gathered from Flock cameras and how often that information is being accessed. The data is stored for 30 days in a cloud, hosted by Amazon, and can be accessed by law enforcement agencies across the state.
Law enforcement officials can use Flock cameras to access images taken of vehicles and search the footage by make, model, and other distinguishing characteristics like bumper stickers or dents. The cameras aren’t used to capture images of…
