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License-plate readers · Brown

Brown

Using license-plate readers · 4 agencies documented

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Brown County Sheriff's Office

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
Count not documented
No count found. In Jan. 2023 the office hoped a state grant would cover 12 cameras.
  1. Jan. 2023 Sheriff Todd Delain said the office was considering plate-reader cameras in heavily traveled areas, hoping a state grant would fund 12 cameras. (WTAQ / WLUK, Jan. 20, 2023)
  2. May 2026 WBAY reported that Brown County uses Flock cameras. (WBAY, May 13, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Only a one-line mention in WBAY (May 13, 2026) confirms Flock use ('De Pere and Brown County also use Flock cameras'); it is not explicit that this means the sheriff's office. No county board approval or contract found. Status after the Sept. 2026 wave of suspensions in neighboring counties is unknown.

Secondhand report; not yet confirmed with the agency.

De Pere Police Department

Status
Program documented, current use unconfirmed
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
Count not documented
No count found.
  1. Jan. 2023 De Pere police said they were considering plate-reader cameras funded with federal ARPA money. (WTAQ / WLUK, Jan. 20, 2023)
  2. May 2026 WBAY reported De Pere uses Flock cameras. (WBAY, May 13, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Use documented in May 2026 (WBAY). Whether the department has since ended Flock use is not confirmed in the cited sources.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Green Bay Police Department

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety, Axon
Cameras
42
42 fixed Flock cameras per the department's 2025 annual ALPR audit memo (May 8, 2026), also stated by Chief Davis in May 2026 (WBAY, WTAQ). The Flock portal (updated Nov. 25, 2025) listed 43 cameras. Separately, the audit says 50 patrol vehicles carry Axon Fleet 3 in-car ALPR.
Contract
Flock Safety: $332,000 term · approved by Green Bay Common Council, 2022-09 · Three-year lease of 40 fixed and 2 quick-deploy cameras, funded with ARPA and CDBG money. FOX 11 gives $332,000 as the three-year total; NBC 26 calls it a $332,000 'annual maintenance contract' and says an ongoing $106,000 per year would apply from year four. The vote was unanimous per NBC 26; the exact meeting date is not given in the articles. (WLUK FOX 11, Sept. 13, 2022; NBC 26 (WGBA), Sept. 21, 2022)
Contract
Flock Safety: $1,300,000 term · approved by Green Bay Common Council, 2025-12-16 · Five-year agreement covering two Flock first-responder drones and continuation of the plate-reader program; $170,000 per year added to the existing Flock agreement, rising to $190,000 in the last two years (FOX 11). Approval was contingent on a contract review confirming city control of data (WBAY). Vote count not reported. (WBAY, Dec. 16, 2025; WLUK FOX 11, Dec. 17, 2025)
  1. July 2022 A test program with Flock plate-reader cameras at major intersections and bridges began (28 cameras installed during the test, per FOX 11). (WLUK FOX 11, Sept. 13, 2022; WTAQ / WLUK, Jan. 20, 2023)
  2. Sept. 2022 Common Council unanimously approved a three-year Flock lease for 40 fixed and 2 quick-deploy cameras after the finance committee's initial approval. (NBC 26 (WGBA), Sept. 21, 2022; WLUK FOX 11, Sept. 13, 2022)
  3. Nov. 25, 2025 Flock transparency portal listed 43 cameras, 30-day retention, and prohibited uses including immigration enforcement, traffic enforcement and personal use. (Flock Safety / Green Bay Police Department, Nov. 25, 2025)
  4. Dec. 16, 2025 Common Council approved a five-year, $1.3 million Flock agreement adding two drones and continuing the plate-reader program, contingent on a review of data control. (WBAY, Dec. 16, 2025; WLUK FOX 11, Dec. 17, 2025)
  5. 2026 After the audit, the department stopped sharing Flock data with law enforcement agencies outside Brown County while reviewing its policies (reported by WPR Aug. 20, 2026; exact date not given). (Wisconsin Public Radio, Aug. 20, 2026)
  6. May 7, 2026 Chief Chris Davis said Green Bay would keep its 42 Flock devices despite Appleton and Oshkosh ending their programs. (WTAQ, May 7, 2026; WBAY, May 13, 2026)
  7. May 8, 2026 The first annual ALPR audit memo (covering 2025) said no misuse was reported to the Professional Standards Division; it noted camera sharing with 299 agencies, participation in Flock's National Lookup, no one-to-one sharing with federal agencies, and recommended making the case-number field mandatory. (City of Green Bay, May 8, 2026)
  8. Sept. 14, 2026 At a Sept. 14 press conference, city leaders said Green Bay would keep its Flock cameras and announced policy changes: data kept 7 days instead of 30, a crime type and case number required before any search, and less data sharing with other agencies. (Spectrum News 1, Sept. 14, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Start year differs by source: WBAY (May 2026) quotes the chief tying the program to a 2021 gun-violence strategy; 2022 coverage describes a test starting in July 2022. Mayor Eric Genrich and Chief Chris Davis publicly support continued use. 2022 council approval month inferred from FOX 11 (finance committee Sept. 13, 2022, council 'next week') and the NBC 26 article of Sept. 21, 2022.

From agency records.

University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Police Department

Status
Program documented, current use unconfirmed
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
5
Five fixed Flock ALPR cameras on campus per a UWGB PD release reported by WFRV; article undated.
Contract
Flock Safety: period not stated · Five fixed cameras installed; no contract details reported. (WFRV Local 5, date not shown)
Conflicts and open questions
  • The WFRV article carries no date (images on the page are dated March 2026). Installation is described but no date or cost is given; status left unconfirmed until dated. Source: wi261030-d-uwgb-wfrv.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Statewide

  1. Aug. 2023 FOX6 reported that the Wisconsin Department of Justice said it does not keep track of Flock cameras, and that Wisconsin had no law setting retention periods for plate-reader data. (FOX6 News Milwaukee, Aug. 2, 2023)
  2. 2025 Lobbying registrations on AB 300 with the Wisconsin Ethics Commission: the ACLU of Wisconsin registered against (6/8/2025); the Wisconsin Chiefs of Police Association (6/10/2025), the League of Wisconsin Municipalities (6/23/2025) and Flock Group Inc. (7/25/2025) registered in favor; the Wisconsin Grocers Association registered 'other' (6/19/2025). (Wisconsin Ethics Commission (lobbying.wi.gov), date not shown)
  3. 2025 The Wisconsin Examiner, citing OpenSecrets, reported that Flock spent $102,000 on lobbying in Wisconsin in 2025, and that AB 300 and SB 299 did not pass. (Wisconsin Examiner (republished by Urban Milwaukee), Aug. 28, 2026)
  4. May 30, 2025 Senate Bill 299, by Sens. James and Wanggaard, was introduced to create a state grant program (new s. 165.985) for buying automated registration plate reader systems; it was referred to the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety, and the Legislature's page shows no later action. (Wisconsin State Legislature, date not shown)
  5. June 6, 2025 Assembly Bill 300, the companion grant-program bill by Rep. Novak and 13 other representatives, was introduced and referred to the Assembly Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety; the Legislature's page shows no later action. (Wisconsin State Legislature, date not shown)
  6. Aug. 6, 2025 A Wisconsin Examiner analysis of Flock network audit data found that at least 221 Wisconsin law enforcement agencies used Flock from Jan. 1 to May 31, 2025. (Wisconsin Examiner, Aug. 6, 2025)
  7. Sept. 2026 Attorney General Josh Kaul, speaking at a Rotary Club event, called on the Legislature to pass a state law governing how plate readers may be used, including a general bar on selling ALPR data to private companies. (CBS 58 says Tuesday; its story is dated Sept. 8, 2026.) (CBS 58 (WDJT), Sept. 8, 2026)
  8. Sept. 2026 State Rep. Calvin Callahan, chair of the Assembly Committee on Consumer Protection, said government use of Flock cameras should be prohibited unless it comes with warrants, judicial oversight and strict retention limits, and said he would hold a committee hearing on surveillance cameras when the Legislature returns in January. No bill number was cited. (WSAW says the statement came on a Tuesday; the story is dated Sept. 15, 2026.) (WSAW NewsChannel 7, Sept. 15, 2026)
  9. Sept. 2026 Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Tiffany said that if elected he would pause state funding for Flock and create a privacy task force; Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, a Democratic candidate for governor, directed county departments to limit Flock use. (Wisconsin Public Radio, Sept. 2, 2026)