2 WI counties cut ties w/ Flock

Our Take

Credit to WISN 12 News for putting a number on something we keep saying: these contracts aren't permanent. Two counties in southeast Wisconsin looked at Flock's license plate reader program and decided the tradeoff wasn't worth it. That's not a fluke — it's what happens when local officials actually weigh cost, effectiveness, and the privacy implications of logging every car that passes a camera instead of just rubber-stamping a renewal.

Flock's whole pitch depends on cities and counties assuming the surveillance grid is inevitable and that opting out isn't on the table. Wisconsin just showed that's false. When boards ask hard questions about data sharing, retention, and whether these cameras actually solve crime versus just hoovering up movement data on innocent drivers, the math doesn't always favor Flock.

If you want to see how dense this camera network already is near you, check our map, and if you'd rather your own county follow Wisconsin's lead instead of signing another multi-year Flock deal, our take-action page has the tools to make that case locally.