Lawsuit over Waukesha County Flock cameras moves to federal court
MILWAUKEE - Wisconsin's battle over Flock cameras is headed to federal court as attorneys for local police are coming to the technology's defense.
Flock cameras
Big picture view:
Flock is one of the nation's most well-known vendors of automated license plate reading cameras. The company has recently come under intense scrutiny as hundreds of officers across the country have been caught misusing the data collected by those cameras, including two officers criminally charged in Milwaukee.
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Lawsuit moves to federal court
Local perspective:
Last month, a citizens group called "No Cams Muskego" sued nearly a dozen cities and villages in Waukesha County for putting the public under "constant surveillance" with Flock cameras. The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty argues the cameras are intrusive and that government searches of the data they collect should require a search warrant.
What they're saying:
Those local governments fired back Wednesday. Attorneys for local police insist the license plate cameras only record movements in public spaces, where there is no expectation of privacy.
Flock Safety camera
"This isn't something, again, where it's following a person into the grocery store, or their church, or their home," said Sam Hall, an attorney representing the Waukesha County municipalities. "All this is, is that if I'm driving my vehicle down a public roadway and my license plate, which the government gave me, is out on display, the photo of my license plate may be taken. I'm sorry, that doesn't invoke the Fourth Amendment."
What's next:
After moving the case to federal court Wednesday, attorneys for the defense asked a judge to put the case on hold. That's because a similar case in Illinois is already awaiting a decision from the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. They say the outcome of that case could help shape the future of Flock in Wisconsin.
The Source: FOX6 Investigators reviewed court filings related to the case, heard from Hall and referenced prior coverage of Flock camera use and misuse in southeast Wisconsin.