Green Bay police chief announces new policy for Flock cameras
The short version: Green Bay PD trimmed ALPR data retention to 7 days and added audits, but self-policed rules don't erase the core problem: mass tracking of every driver.
Our Take
Credit where it's due: WLUK-TV FOX 11's report on Green Bay Police Chief Chris Davis's new Flock policy shows a department responding to public pushback with real, if modest, concessions — cutting retention from 30 days to 7, requiring a case number before anyone runs a search, and promising monthly public reports and audits. That's more transparency than most agencies bother with, and it didn't happen in a vacuum. It happened because residents, journalists, and advocates kept asking hard questions.
But let's not confuse a shorter leash for no leash. Seven days of retention still means every plate that passes a Flock camera in Green Bay gets logged, time-stamped, and cross-referenced before it's deleted — and the audits meant to catch misuse are conducted internally, by the same department running the cameras. 'Increases privacy protection' is a marketing phrase as much as a policy fact; it doesn't touch the underlying architecture of a system built to track everyone, all the time, guilty of nothing.
Policy tweaks are easy to reverse and easy to quietly ignore once the cameras fade from headlines. The only durable check on ALPR overreach is public awareness of where these cameras actually are and sustained pressure on local officials. Check our map to see what's watching your streets, and visit take action for ways to push your own city council toward real accountability — not just a friendlier press release.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of WLUK-TV FOX 11, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.