KAUKAUNA (NBC 26) — Kaukauna has become the latest Fox Valley community to end its contract with Flock Safety, joining Appleton, Oshkosh and Grand Chute in moving away from the license plate reader company.
Kaukauna Mayor Tony Penterman said the decision came in part because of the broader regional trend.
"We thought with everyone else canceling, we wanted to do that also and look for other technology that would be a little less invasive," Penterman said.
Not every community is walking away. Green Bay's city council recently approved a new five-year contract with Flock Safety, and Neenah remains under contract through 2028.
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Police departments have consistently pointed to the technology's effectiveness. Penterman acknowledged that the cameras produced results in Kaukauna.
"It solved a lot of crimes here in the city of Kaukauna, so it was disappointing to get rid of it," Penterman said.
Concerns about privacy and oversight have grown alongside the technology's use. Officers in Menasha and Milwaukee have faced accusations of misusing camera systems, and in Oshkosh, city leaders said Flock Safety representatives provided misleading information.
Cari Tetzlaff, an Oshkosh resident and member of the "Deflock the Fox Valley" Facebook group, a grassroots effort skeptical of license plate readers, said internal policies alone are not enough.
"Policy alone is not enough of a guardrail," Tetzlaff said. "They can change at any time. Citizens deserve a formal ordinance".
Communities that have moved on from Flock Safety are actively considering similar technology from other companies. In Appleton, leaders are set to discuss working with Axon next week.
Tetzlaff says although she and many other neighbors are against all automated license plate readers, she acknowledges that it may not be realistic.
"For me personally, I would love to live in an ALPR-free world, but I don't think that is achievable. I think regulation and ordinance is what we're needing," Tetzlaff said.
Tetzlaff said neighbors have already drafted a citizen-authored ordinance that would create independent oversight, shorter data retention periods, and warrant requirements to search older files.
She says copies have been sent to leaders in Oshkosh, Neenah, and Appleton.
