Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) are AI-powered cameras that capture and analyze images of all passing vehicles. These cameras store and collect data on vehicles whether there was a crime committed or not. The fast growing ALPR company, Flock Safety, is a private technology company that builds public safety and mass surveillance systems used by law enforcement, neighborhood associations, and businesses.
As more stories emerge of agencies abusing their camera privileges, the push for regulation is rising across Wisconsin. Here’s what you need to know to say “flock off” to this mass surveillance in Wisconsin.
Flock in Wisconsin
As of May 2025, at least 221 Wisconsin law enforcement agencies used Flock. A growing number of Wisoconsites are pushing for regulation as stories of agencies abusing their privileges with the cameras arise, including federal agencies like ICE.
Wisconsin has seen documented and alleged cases involving the misuse of ALPRs in several communities including Milwaukee, Menasha, Racine, and Kenosha, with some cases involving the use of the technology to facilitate stalking.
There are rising concerns over mass surveillance. 404 Media recently reported that the Brown County Sheriff’s Department used Flock to determine that a man “frequently” crossed state lines to Michigan where marijuana is legal, and used this as part of the probable cause justification to search his car for weed.
Here’s how to take action
Stay informed:
Click here to learn where Flock cameras are in your community. While Flock is the leading ALPR technology, it is not the only one. ALPR systems from companies like Motorola Solutions and Axon are also commonly used.
Contact your lawmakers:
- Sign the petition: Tell Congress to ban Flock’s authoritarian camera network and protect our privacy rights with Demand Progress.
- Call Congress: Ban Flock mass surveillance cameras with Demand Progress.
Attend your local municipal meetings:
Your community may be discussing surveillance tech like Flock cameras, facial recognition, or ALPRs. Your voice can make a difference.
Over the last few months, several Wisconsin communities—including Dane County, Sturgeon Bay, Oshkosh, and UW Madison—have voted to terminate contracts with Flock after hearing community members’ concerns about data privacy.
The Oshkosh City Council set a record for the shortest time between approving and canceling a Flock contract after learning that Flock’s chief information security officer lied to the council when claiming that Flock’s system did not create a pattern or heat map of an individual’s movements through the tracking of their vehicles. The contract lasted one day.
To find your local city council or commission meeting in Wisconsin, check your municipality’s official website.
Attend an event:
National Week of Action Against ALPRs takes place August 16-22, 2026. Find an event near you.
Join ACLU’s ‘Get the Flock Out’ local advocacy series:
Sign up to receive emails with social media content and instructions for taking action in your community.
Vote: Local, state, and federal lawmakers determine how ALPRs are regulated.
Need help getting ready to vote? Use the voter tool below to see what’s on your ballot, find your polling place, and find answers to your voting questions.
