Sheboygan votes to end Flock contract amid data concerns

Our Take

Give Sheboygan credit: when a local report from WISN 12 News surfaced contract violations tied to how Flock Safety was managing license plate data, the city council didn't shrug it off — they cut the contract. That's rare. Most municipalities either bury these findings in a committee memo or just renew the deal anyway, trusting the vendor to grade its own homework.

This matters because "trust us" has basically been Flock's entire pitch since day one. Cities sign multi-year agreements without independent audits of who's actually touching the data, how long it's retained, or whether it's being shared outside the jurisdiction that paid for it. Sheboygan's cancellation is proof that these contracts are not ironclad, and that violations do get discovered — if anyone bothers to look. Every city running ALPR cameras right now should be asking the same questions Sheboygan apparently did, before a breach forces the issue.

If you want to see whether Flock or similar ALPR systems are already watching your streets, check our camera map, and if your town is still rubber-stamping these contracts without oversight, our take-action resources can help you push back before the next violation makes headlines.