OSHKOSH (NBC 26) — Update: The Oshkosh Common Council passed by a vote of 6 to 1, an amendment reducing the Flock camera contract agreement from two years to one year.
Then by a vote of 5 to 2 the council approved the one year contract agreement.
The Oshkosh Common Council met Tuesday to discuss whether to extend the city’s use of Flock cameras.
Installed in 2022, the cameras track license plates and vehicle characteristics. The technology has been a hot topic in Oshkosh since March 31, with residents and city officials split on the issue after an inconclusive Oshkosh Common Council meeting.
Oshkosh Police Chief Dean Smith highlighted the effectiveness of the cameras last month.
"We have a higher clearance rate on crimes than the national average, and this is in part due to our license plate readers," Smith said.
However, newly elected Oshkosh Common Council member Alec Lefeber feels the system is not right for the city.
"This is a complex issue for a lot of people," Lefeber said.
"For many this comes down to two camps, public safety and public trust," Lefeber said.
"2022 was a different political era than 2026. Now, we’re approaching this in a new time where we are having citizens who are very concerned about the technology," Lefeber said.
Some residents, like Eric Koestar, support the cameras and believe they help the police.
"To me it’s a good idea. I know a lot of people feel that it’s a big brother thing, but we’re in a society where even your phones listen to you all the time," one resident said.
Other residents, including Diamonique Johnson, are pushing back against the technology.
"Well, I'm sort of against it basically because I don’t really want to be tracked. I don’t want people to be able to recognize me by doing that. I feel like it is an invasion of privacy."
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