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License-plate readers · Vernon

Vernon

Using license-plate readers · 1 agency documented

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Vernon County Sheriff's Office

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
4
Four leased cameras (three fixed, one mobile) per Sheriff Roy Torgerson (Sept 2026); committee records list five locations (Viola, Genoa, Coon Valley, Hillsboro, mobile).
Contract
Flock Safety: $12,000 year · from Oct. 8, 2023 · approved by Signed by the sheriff and Administrative Coordinator; no county board vote · About $3,000 per camera per year (~$12,000) per the sheriff; initially funded by a private foundation donation, then budgeted. 2023-10-08 is the MOU signing date. (VernonReporter, Sept. 18, 2026)
  1. Oct. 8, 2023 Flock MOU signed. (VernonReporter, Sept. 18, 2026)
  2. June 26, 2026 VernonReporter reported five Flock camera locations and that deputies must log an investigative reason for each query. (VernonReporter, June 26, 2026)
  3. Sept. 17, 2026 Sheriff presented the Flock program to the county board; no vote reported. (VernonReporter, Sept. 18, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Board chair said in June 2026 he had been unaware of the cameras. Policy 427 governs ALPR use.

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)