APPLETON — Appleton Mayor Jake Woodford on Wednesday announced that the City of Appleton has begun the process of ending its use of Flock Safety’s products and platform.
Flock Safety contracts with communities to provide automated license plate readers that use AI to identify vehicles by license plate, make, model, and even unique details like bumper stickers or roof racks.
The service is controversial because critics and civil liberties groups argue it enables invasive mass surveillance, citing concerns over long-term data retention and high-profile instances where the system was misused for personal stalking or harassment.
Woodford issued the following statement:
After careful consideration, taking into account the feedback from our community and our own concerns, we are beginning the process of ending our use of Flock Safety’s system in the City of Appleton.
Automated license plate reader (ALPR) technology has proven instrumental in solving cases, recovering stolen property, and locating missing people and we believe that if an alternative option is identified, it is an important capability to maintain for our community.
That being said, concerns about the integrity of Flock’s underlying system have eroded our trust.
The Appleton Police Department has long instituted strong internal controls over use of the product and data and has enhanced its policies to protect the public in recent months.
However, such rigorous standards cannot be verified beyond the boundaries of our jurisdiction. Examples of illegitimate use of Flock data by personnel in other departments with access to the system reinforce accountability concerns that are not under the City of Appleton’s control as a customer.
Recent events in a neighboring community have also raised questions about the accuracy of information Flock Safety provides to its customers. Regardless of the specific details, we hold ourselves to the highest standard in matters involving the public’s personal data.
The City of Appleton is evaluating its current terms of use for Flock Safety and will be bringing forward a recommendation to the Common Council if their action is required to terminate use. In the meantime, Flock data sharing has been curtailed strictly to law enforcement agencies in northeast Wisconsin.
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