Wausau's Common Council voted 9-1 on Oct. 27 to direct the Police Department to immediately stop using the Flock automatic license plate reader system and to have a city department cover the Flock cameras around the city within 10 business days. District 11 Alderperson Bruce Trueblood voted no, and District 5 Alderperson Andrew Wiskowski was absent.
During about 40 minutes of discussion, alderpersons raised concerns they said they had heard from constituents in recent months, including unwarranted surveillance, false positive vehicle matches, questions about Flock's ownership of data collected by the system, and misuse of that data.
Wausau first entered a five-year, $250,000 contract with Flock Group Inc. in December 2023, and 20 Flock license plate reader devices were installed across the city under that contract.
Committees had already moved against funding the system. The Public Health and Safety Committee voted unanimously on Oct. 19 to recommend removing Flock money from the draft 2027 budget, and the Finance Committee voted on Oct. 20 to move the $50,000 planned for Flock in 2027 to the city's motor pool fund.
Some alderpersons raised questions about the consequences of breaking the contract and what obligations the city may still have. The council is expected to vote Nov. 10 on the proposed 2027 budget, and if Flock funding stays out of it, Police Chief Matthew Barnes will contact Flock for guidance on removing the 20 installed systems.
