OSHKOSH (NBC 26) — Just one day after Oshkosh City Council approved a renewal contract with Flock Group Inc., city leadership reversed its decision to keep the traffic surveillance cameras in the city.
The unanimous vote to end the contract came in a special meeting Wednesday, after Oshkosh Police learned that statements made Tuesday by Flock officials regarding the cameras' analytical capabilities were false.
"Last night's decision was the wrong one," Council Member Brad Spanbauer told the council and a gathering of about 30 Oshkosh residents Wednesday night.
Oshkosh Mayor Matt Mugerauer added that ending the contract was the right decision. "This is the only step forward," Mugerauer stated.
Oshkosh Police Chief Dean Smith said the department still supports the use of surveillance cameras in the city. Council members noted that conversations about new possible vendors will come in the near future.
"Our staff, our police officers, they believe in this type of technology, but they want to make sure we get it right," Smith said Wednesday.
The situation has raised privacy and trust concerns among community members. Oshkosh resident Meg Johnson attended both the Tuesday and Wednesday night council meetings to express reservations about the cameras.
"After the reveal of this new evidence, how can we trust anything they [Flock respresentatives] say?" Johnson asked the council to consider Wednesday.
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Johnson said that the department's use of the Flock cameras had weakened her trust in the police, but Johnson remains hopeful that city officials can work with residents on an alternative to Flock that benefits everyone.
Turning off the cameras will have short-term consequences for law enforcement, though: "It's going to take longer for us to solve crime. It just is," Smith mentioned Wednesday.
Still, Smith emphasized that police will continue to serve the community.
"I've had a lot of conversations with our officer today about this situation," Smith said, "and we all agree that we have a responsibility to the community to keep on doing good police work. We're going to continue to do it."
