APPLETON, Wis. (WFRV) – The city of Appleton will no longer use Flock Safety cameras.
“Concerns about the integrity of Flock’s underlying system have eroded our trust,” Appleton mayor Jake Woodford said in a statement.
Flock Safety cameras read licence plates on vehicles and police department’s utilize the technology to catch criminals and find missing persons. However, opponents of the technology say the cameras invade citizens’ privacy.
Mayor Woodford told Local 5 News that he made the decision to stop using the Flock Safety cameras “with the consultation of the chief of police.”
Appleton police chief Polly Olson declined a request for a formal interview with Local 5 News on Wednesday evening. She did confirm that the mayor had talked with her about the Flock cameras and the decision to discontinue the use of the technology.
According to a website set up to track Appleton’s Flock camera use, there are 20 cameras in the city. The website notes that the cameras don’t have facial recognition capabilities and that Appleton doesn’t use the technology for immigration enforcement.
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The Appleton Police Department does share its Flock camera data with other law enforcement agencies in the state which is one of the reasons the mayor said he’s against the technology.
There’s been cases where other police departments have abused the Flock technology. Perhaps most notably, a Menasha police officer has been charged for allegedly using Flock camera data to stalk somebody.
“We believe in the integrity of our system as a city to responsibly use this tool,” Mayor Woodford explained. “However, we have no control or influence over how other customers who have access to this data are using it.”
Local 5 News asked Mayor Woodford if he’s worried that getting rid of the Flock cameras would make it more difficult for police officers to do their job.
“There is a concern every time we can’t continue to use a tool of the potential impacts,” mayor Woodford said. “We have to look at the totality and look to see if the good outweighs the bad.
“We felt like this was the responsible thing to do as a municipality (getting rid of the Flock cameras), so that’s why we’re doing it.”
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An Appleton police source told Local 5 News that the department began using Flock cameras in April 2022. The source said that their current contract with the company runs through the end of 2028.
Mayor Woodford told Local 5 News that the city’s legal team is looking into the terms of the city’s contract with Flock Safety. He said they’re also trying to figure out if they need city council approval to terminate the contract.
Alder Nate Wolff also introduced a resolution at the city council’s board meeting on Wednesday night that would end the use of Flock cameras in the city. The mayor referred the resolution to his office for review.
“I’m simply against mass surveillance, I think we should live in a society where we’re more free,” Wolff told Local 5 News. “I think the police did just fine before Flock and I think they’ll continue to do a great job after Flock.”
Oshkosh’s city council recently voted to not renew their contract with Flock Safety after company officials mischaracterized their products to the council.
