SIGNALDATAInsights. For the People.
Preview
License-plate readers · Dane

Dane

Using license-plate readers · 13 agencies documented

← Statewide map
Adams CountyAshland CountyBarron CountyBayfield CountyBrown CountyBuffalo CountyBurnett CountyCalumet CountyChippewa CountyClark CountyColumbia CountyCrawford CountyDane CountyDodge CountyDoor CountyDouglas CountyDunn CountyEau Claire CountyFlorence CountyFond du Lac CountyForest CountyGrant CountyGreen CountyGreen Lake CountyIowa CountyIron CountyJackson CountyJefferson CountyJuneau CountyKenosha CountyKewaunee CountyLa Crosse CountyLafayette CountyLanglade CountyLincoln CountyManitowoc CountyMarathon CountyMarinette CountyMarquette CountyMenominee CountyMilwaukee CountyMonroe CountyOconto CountyOneida CountyOutagamie CountyOzaukee CountyPepin CountyPierce CountyPolk CountyPortage CountyPrice CountyRacine CountyRichland CountyRock CountyRusk CountySauk CountySawyer CountyShawano CountySheboygan CountySt. Croix CountyTaylor CountyTrempealeau CountyVernon CountyVilas CountyWalworth CountyWashburn CountyWashington CountyWaukesha CountyWaupaca CountyWaushara CountyWinnebago CountyWood County

Cottage Grove Police Department

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
Count not documented
Not reported.
  1. Sept. 2026 Named among four Dane County agencies still using Flock (Badger Herald citing the Wisconsin State Journal). (The Badger Herald, Sept. 24, 2026; GovTech (reprint of Wisconsin State Journal), Jan. 6, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Secondhand; verify with village records or portal.

Secondhand report; not yet confirmed with the agency.

Dane County Sheriff's Office

Status
Ended or removed
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
26
26 Flock cameras covered after the contract expired, per the sheriff's June 5, 2026 release. WPR (April 2026) reported 24 in use; WKOW (2022) reported about two dozen at the pilot's start. The sheriff's office said it covered the cameras and took them out of use; removal by Flock is not confirmed in the sources.
Contract
Flock Safety: $80,000 year · to May 31, 2026 · approved by Funded in the 2026 Dane County operating budget; no separate board approval of the original system (per Bolts) · Annual Flock subscription budgeted at $80,000 in 2026; subscription ran through May 31, 2026. Funding removed by 2025 RES-403. (Dane County Board of Supervisors (Legistar attachment), March 16, 2026; Bolts, May 15, 2026)
Contract
Axon: $331,400 term · PROPOSED, not approved as of 2026-10-30: 2026 RES-198 asks approval of a contract with Axon Enterprises, Inc. for up to five years, total not to exceed $331,400, after an RFP. Referred to committee 2026-10-16. (Dane County Board of Supervisors (Legistar attachment), Oct. 15, 2026; Dane County Board of Supervisors (Legistar API), Oct. 16, 2026)
  1. April 2022 Sheriff's office began an ALPR study with Flock Safety cameras (about two dozen) tied to a National Policing Institute research partnership. (WKOW 27, April 25, 2022; GovTech (reprint of Wisconsin State Journal), Jan. 6, 2026)
  2. March 24, 2026 Public Protection & Judiciary Committee recommended approval of 2025 RES-403, which removes the $80,000 Flock subscription from the sheriff's 2026 budget and bars further Flock spending. (Dane County Board of Supervisors (Legistar API), April 20, 2026)
  3. April 13, 2026 Personnel & Finance Committee recommended RES-403 to the full board. (Dane County Board of Supervisors (Legistar API), April 20, 2026)
  4. April 16, 2026 County Board adopted RES-403, 32-1 (Supervisor Michael Engelberger the lone no, per WPR); sponsor Supervisor Chad Kemp. A motion to move the money to sheriff's recruitment failed. (Dane County Board of Supervisors (Legistar API), April 20, 2026; WPR, April 20, 2026)
  5. April 20, 2026 County Executive signed RES-403. (Dane County Board of Supervisors (Legistar API), April 20, 2026)
  6. May 31, 2026 Flock contract expired; Flock did not remove the 26 cameras by that date. (Dane County Sheriff's Office, June 5, 2026)
  7. June 4, 2026 County Board adopted as amended 2026 RES-027, restoring $80,000 for an ALPR system subject to conditions (competitive RFP, draft RFP to committee first, independent third-party audits, exclusive sheriff ownership/control of data, public reporting; any agreement treated as a major contract). Signed by the County Executive 2026-06-08. (Dane County Board of Supervisors (Legistar API), June 8, 2026; Dane County Board of Supervisors (Legistar attachment), June 4, 2026; The Daily Cardinal, Sept. 10, 2026)
  8. June 5, 2026 Sheriff's office said it had taken the 26 Flock cameras out of service and covered them because Flock had not removed them. (Dane County Sheriff's Office, June 5, 2026)
  9. July 2026 Draft ALPR RFP (dated 2026-07-21) presented for committee discussion (2026 DISC-010). (Dane County Board of Supervisors (Legistar API), July 17, 2026)
  10. Sept. 2026 Four vendors responded to the RFP: Axon, Motorola, Lucidia IT and Ubicquia; proposal covers 26 readers. (The Cap Times, Sept. 17, 2026)
  11. Oct. 16, 2026 2026 RES-198, awarding an ALPR contract to Axon Enterprises (up to 5 years, not to exceed $331,400), introduced and referred to committee. (Dane County Board of Supervisors (Legistar API), Oct. 16, 2026; Dane County Board of Supervisors (Legistar attachment), Oct. 15, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Start date discrepancy: WKOW (April 2022) and the Wisconsin State Journal describe a 2022 start; WPR says the pilot began in 2024. Funding discrepancy: WSJ (via GovTech) says the cameras were provided free through the National Policing Institute partnership; Bolts says the original system was paid for with a $68,750 grant from Axon Enterprise. Per WPR, sheriff's policy requires a captain to audit Flock searches at least annually and deletes data after 30 days unless downloaded for an investigation. RES-027 reports ALPR use 2023-March 2026 aided 18 arrests and 12 stolen-vehicle recoveries. Axon contract pending; if approved, status should change.

From agency records.

Fitchburg Police Department

Status
Ended or removed
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
Count not documented
Count not reported.
  1. May 26, 2026 The Common Council voted unanimously to end the city's Flock contract, with termination expected about four months later (Channel3000). Police had already dropped a separate Flock contract that was due to expire in February. (WKOW 27, May 27, 2026; Channel3000 (WISC-TV), May 27, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Vote date derived: articles dated 2026-05-27 say 'Tuesday'. Deputy Chief Matthew Laha said LPR technology had been used 15-plus years including on squad cars; whether any non-Flock ALPR remains in use is unverified. Daily Cardinal (Sept 2026) says Fitchburg is exploring alternative vendors and wants police, not the vendor, to control data. Shutdown and camera removal after the four-month termination period are not confirmed in the sources.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Madison Police Department

Status
Checked: no program found
Vendors
Cameras
Count not documented
MPD's 2026 annual surveillance technology report (covering 2025) lists no license plate readers in its inventory.
  1. Jan. 2, 2018 Council authorized a five-year contract, with renewals, with NuPark, Inc. for a mobile license plate recognition system (parking; RES-18-00037). Not a police system. (City of Madison Common Council (Legistar API), Jan. 2, 2018)
  2. Sept. 22, 2026 Common Council accepted the 2026 agency surveillance technology reports (RES-26-00504); MPD's section reports no new surveillance technology added in 2025 and its inventory (in-car video, body cameras, drones, robotics, covert tracking/recording devices, extraction tools, city Genetec cameras) includes no ALPR. (City of Madison Common Council (Legistar API), Sept. 22, 2026; City of Madison, July 24, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Madison requires council approval of new surveillance technology under MGO 23.63 (Legistar shows the ordinance item introduced 2020-01-28 and passed; the Wisconsin State Journal via GovTech describes it as a 2021 ordinance). Bolts (May 2026) and the Daily Cardinal (Sept 2026) report MPD has no ALPR contract and the city operates no Flock cameras or ALPRs. Four Flock cameras around Capitol Square belong to Wisconsin State Capitol Police (a state agency, not the city). Separately, in 2018 the council authorized a five-year contract (with renewals) with NuPark, Inc. for a mobile license plate recognition system for parking; its current status is not verified. In Feb. 2026 the city attorney's office asked UW-Madison to remove a UWPD Flock camera it said was on a city-owned pole on Langdon Street.

From agency records.

Maple Bluff Police Department

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
7
7 per Flock portal last updated 2024-11-21; WSJ (Jan 2026) reported 3 cameras.
  1. Nov. 21, 2024 Flock transparency portal (last updated this date) listed 7 cameras, 30-day retention. (Flock Safety, Nov. 21, 2024)
  2. Sept. 2026 Still contracting with Flock (Cap Times, Sept. 17, 2026). (The Cap Times, Sept. 17, 2026; The Badger Herald, Sept. 24, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • WSJ reported Maple Bluff temporarily upgraded to a live feed from November to January. Camera count discrepancy between portal (7) and WSJ (3).

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Marshall Police Department

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
Count not documented
Not reported.
  1. Sept. 2026 Named among four Dane County agencies still using Flock (Badger Herald citing the Wisconsin State Journal). (The Badger Herald, Sept. 24, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Secondhand only.

Secondhand report; not yet confirmed with the agency.

McFarland Police Department

Status
Ended or removed
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
Count not documented
Not reported.
  1. 2026 McFarland PD backed out of its Flock agreement after the April 2026 county board vote (Cap Times). (The Cap Times, Sept. 17, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Single passing mention; date and mechanism not documented.

Secondhand report; not yet confirmed with the agency.

Middleton Police Department

Status
Ended or removed
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
Count not documented
Not reported in sources opened.
  1. Aug. 2026 Middleton ended its Flock contract (Cap Times, Sept. 17, 2026: 'last month'). (The Cap Times, Sept. 17, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Only a passing mention in the Cap Times; WSJ (Jan 2026) listed Middleton among Dane suburbs with Flock. The council's action (date, vote, transition period) is not yet confirmed from city records. Whether the cameras have been shut off or removed is not confirmed.

Secondhand report; not yet confirmed with the agency.

Monona Police Department

Status
Use suspended
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
3
Three cameras in use at end of 2025, a fourth approved (HNG, May 2026).
Contract
Flock Safety: period not stated · to April 20, 2026 · Two-year contract due for renewal April 20, 2026; not renewed. (Hometown News Group (Monona/McFarland Leader-Independent), May 5, 2026)
  1. April 2026 Chief Brian Chaney suspended the department's use of Flock and did not renew the contract, citing the county board vote and open-records volume among factors. (Hometown News Group (Monona/McFarland Leader-Independent), May 5, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Suspension date approximate ('a couple weeks' before a May 4 meeting). Chief said the contract could be renewed later; Cap Times (Sept 2026) says Monona backed out of its Flock agreement.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Stoughton Police Department

Status
Ended or removed
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
Count not documented
Not reported.
  1. Dec. 2025 Flock agreement first signed ('last December'). (WMTV NBC15, July 29, 2026)
  2. May 2026 Cameras installed after frozen-ground delay. (WMTV NBC15, July 29, 2026)
  3. July 28, 2026 Council voted unanimously to end the Flock agreement; the chief said there were no plans to add other plate-reader cameras. (WMTV NBC15, July 29, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Vote date derived from 'Tuesday' in a 2026-07-29 article. Chief said cameras would come down in the coming days; removal not confirmed.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Sun Prairie Police Department

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
9
Nine Flock cameras under contract per city release (Sept 2026): six expire 2026-12-31, three expire 2027-03-31. Flock portal (updated 2025-06-16) showed 6. Department also uses ALPRs on squad cars (WMTV, Nov 2025).
Contract
Flock Safety: period not stated · to March 31, 2027 · City will not renew; six cameras end 2026-12-31, three 2027-03-31. (City of Sun Prairie, Sept. 16, 2026)
  1. June 16, 2025 Flock portal (last updated this date) listed 6 cameras, 30-day retention. (Flock Safety, June 16, 2025)
  2. Nov. 2025 Department reported using ALPRs on squad cars and recently installing pole-mounted cameras; budget could fund three more. (WMTV NBC15, Nov. 23, 2025)
  3. Sept. 16, 2026 City announced it will not renew its Flock contracts and plans to propose Axon Outpost ALPR cameras, with a broader Axon platform from 2027. (City of Sun Prairie, Sept. 16, 2026; Channel3000 (WISC-TV), Sept. 16, 2026)
  4. Oct. 7, 2026 Axon Outpost contract scheduled to go to the Public Safety Committee (outcome not verified). (City of Sun Prairie, Sept. 16, 2026; The Badger Herald, Sept. 24, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Flock portal (June 2025): 30-day retention, 219 external organizations with access. Axon contract outcome unknown; add vendor axon once approved.

From agency records.

University of Wisconsin–Madison Police Department

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety, Vendor not named in source
Cameras
Count not documented
The 8 campus Flock cameras (installed July 2025, per Cap Times and Daily Cardinal) were deactivated when the Flock contract ended June 26, 2026. UWPD's ALPR page (modified 2026-08-04) says only squad dashboard cameras now use ALPR; it gives no count or vendor.
Contract
Flock Safety: $24,000 year · from July 2025 · to June 26, 2026 · Initial cost $24,500, then $24,000 a year (Cap Times). Not renewed. (The Cap Times, March 25, 2026; UW–Madison Police Department, July 3, 2026)
  1. July 2025 Eight Flock cameras installed on campus. (The Cap Times, March 25, 2026; The Daily Cardinal, March 12, 2026)
  2. Feb. 6, 2026 Madison city attorney's office wrote UW-Madison asking that a Flock camera near Memorial Union be removed, saying it was on a city-owned pole without city authorization. (The Daily Cardinal, March 12, 2026)
  3. March 2026 Chief Brent Plisch announced UWPD would stop sharing Flock data with agencies that have ICE data-sharing agreements (per WSJ). (GovTech (reprint of Wisconsin State Journal), July 20, 2026)
  4. April 2026 UW-Madison Faculty Senate called for ending the Flock contract and creating a video surveillance oversight board (per WSJ). (GovTech (reprint of Wisconsin State Journal), July 20, 2026)
  5. June 26, 2026 Annual Flock contract ended without renewal. (UW–Madison Police Department, July 3, 2026)
  6. July 3, 2026 UWPD said it would not renew with Flock, had switched the equipment off and was taking it down, and was looking at other ALPR vendors with plans to seek community input. (UW–Madison Police Department, July 3, 2026)
  7. Aug. 4, 2026 UWPD ALPR page (as modified this date) states only squad dashboard cameras use ALPR; lists prohibited uses including immigration and traffic enforcement. (UW–Madison Police Department, Aug. 4, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Status 'active' rests on UWPD's own ALPR page stating squad dashboard cameras use ALPR; Flock is ended. Cap Times reported nine people had search access, data kept 30 days, no hot-list alerts, use barred for immigration enforcement. WSJ (via GovTech) reported UWPD had shared Flock data with 168 agencies and received from 467 per the portal.

From agency records.

Verona Police Department

Status
Ended or removed
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
3
Three ALPRs per Wisconsin Watch/Bolts (May 2026).
Contract
Flock Safety: $9,600 year · to Dec. 2025 · $9,600 was the 2026 renewal cost that the council declined; contract lapsed December 2025. (Channel3000 (WISC-TV), Nov. 11, 2025; Wisconsin Examiner, Feb. 2, 2026)
  1. Nov. 10, 2025 Common Council declined, by voice vote, to renew the Flock contract. (Channel3000 (WISC-TV), Nov. 11, 2025; GovTech (reprint of Wisconsin State Journal), Jan. 6, 2026)
  2. Dec. 2025 Contract lapsed; cameras stayed up and were covered by the city. (Wisconsin Examiner, Feb. 2, 2026)
  3. Feb. 2026 Crews were expected to start taking the cameras down (Wisconsin Examiner, Feb. 2, 2026). (Wisconsin Examiner, Feb. 2, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Vote date derived from 'Monday' in a 2025-11-11 article; WSJ also gives Nov. 10. Removal start date derived from 'Wednesday' in a Feb. 2, 2026 article.

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)