Oconomowoc, Racine leaders to discuss Flock Safety camera contracts
Vote expected Tuesday on Oconomowoc Flock contract
City leaders in Oconomowoc are set to take up a resolution that could de-fund the city's Flock contract. Mayor Matt Rosek says he wants the council to weigh whether the privacy risk of Flock cameras is worth the reward.
RACINE, Wis. - More local Wisconsin communities may cut ties with Flock, joining a nationwide debate over police license plate scanning cameras.
Flock contracts
What we know:
Leaders in both Racine and Oconomowoc are set to discuss their contracts with Flock Tuesday night.
The mayor of Oconomowoc, Matt Rosek, said he wants the council to take a hard look at whether the privacy concerns are worth the benefit of having these cameras.
Rosek shared a statement on the city’s website. It reads, in part:
"The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence and its ability to collect, mine, and analyze large amounts of information has also altered the conversation surrounding these systems. Several Aldermen have also asked that this topic be added to the agenda."
Vote expected Tuesday on Racine Flock contract
More local communities are considering cutting ties with Flock cameras. Racine's Common Council is expected to vote on Tuesday, Sept. 15 on whether to end their partnership with the controversial company.
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He then went on to say the decision council members will weigh Tuesday night comes down to "whether the system... and the technology surrounding it continues to provide the level of security, accountability, privacy, and public trust that our community expects."
The vote in Oconomowoc comes as other communities are also rethinking their Flock contracts. That includes Racine, where the Common Council is set to meet Tuesday night to discuss ending or renegotiating its partnership with Flock Safety.
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The city’s Personnel and Finance Committee already took up that question last week. They looked at what it would mean to renegotiate or end the city’s contract with Flock. During that meeting, the police chief, city attorney and finance department all weighed in on what that could mean for the city. In the end, the committee voted against ending the contract. But that is not the final word. The Common Council could make the final decision Tuesday.
Portions of this article were formatted using A.I. FOX6’s staff and an editor reviewed it for accuracy and tone prior to publishing.
The Source: Information in this story was gathered from Matt Rosek, the City of Oconomowoc website, the Oconomowoc Common Council, the Racine Common Council, the Racine Personnel and Finance Committee, the Racine police chief, the Racine city attorney and the Racine finance department.