Sheboygan officials seek to terminate Flock Safety contract

Sheboygan city officials plan to ask the common council to terminate the police department’s contract with Flock Safety, a provider of automated license plate reader (ALPR) technology. The decision follows reports that the department became aware of actions by Flock Safety believed to be “inconsistent with the terms and expectations of the City’s contract,” which officials say undermines trust in the services.

While the police department has used ALPR technology for over a decade and noted that Flock-captured data helped solve several serious criminal cases, the city is joining several other Wisconsin communities—including Oshkosh, Sturgeon Bay, Appleton, Verona, and Dane County—that have already cut ties with the company. The move comes amid ongoing privacy concerns regarding how data from these camera systems is accessed and shared with other law enforcement agencies.