More Wisconsin communities walk away from Flock cameras

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(The Center Square) – The list of Wisconsin communities that are changing their minds about Flock cameras continues to grow.

City leaders in Menasha on Tuesday voted to end their contract with Flock when city council members voted 7-3 to stop paying for the cameras.

Menasha Police Chief Matthew Albrecht told city leaders that he can no longer trust what Flock is sharing.

"The actions that Flock has taken with other municipalities has greatly diminished my trust in the company and I cannot stand in front of our community and recommend that company as the ALPR vendor," Albrecht told the council.

Menasha, however, is not alone in walking away from its Flock cameras.

City leaders in Sheboygan also voted Tuesday to end their contract.

Sheboygan's police chief said there are benefits to being able to track suspects or look for wanted vehicles, but he, too, is not sure about all of the other data that is collected by Flocks' cameras.

"My hope is that we continue to cultivate the positive partnership with our community while using available resources including technology like this to provide justice and protection to victims and make safe and vibrant characteristics in our community," Chief Kurt Zempel said.

But the chief also said the Flock breached their contract terms and undermined trust.

Waupaca County leaders also moved on Tuesday to distance themselves from Flock.

“Protecting that information is an important responsibility of law enforcement,” county leaders said in a statement. “Unauthorized or unintended disclosure can compromise an investigation, expose victims or witnesses to additional harm, create public safety concerns, or interfere with our ability to hold offenders accountable.”

The county said searches from out-of-state agencies prompted concerns and added the "loss of control over sensitive law enforcement information is a concern we cannot ignore.”

Menasha, Sheboygan and Waupaca County join a list of several communities in Wisconsin that have also canceled or distanced themselves from Flock cameras.

More communities are scheduled to take similar votes next week.