It's hard to ignore the presence of Flock cameras when you start spotting them at major roads in my sleepy town of Sussex, WI. My awareness of these cameras has only increased as numerous reports and articles have released in the last 3 or 4 years. Everyone from investigative journalists to private citizens are sounding alarms. They paint a troubling picture of lack of concrete results, misuse by law enforcement, and fundamental failures by Flock to secure data, consistently identify license plates, and maintain privacy of citizens who had no choice in their surveillance. All the while, I have noticed the number of cameras increase around Waukesha County and across the Midwest.

Recently, a story hit close to home when I read about an incident involving a man from my small town being "Flocked" by the Waukesha County Sheriff's Department following a complaint he filed about mistreatment and excessive force. The man was held in jail for 5 hours but never charged, and yet his license plate was searched over one hundred times in the months after. The original event unfolded less than a mile from where I live.

It's incidents like these, along with dozens of stories we read and hear about almost daily, that underscore my concern about unrestricted surveillance and its potential for abuse. The use of Flock Safety cameras must be subjected to transparent, enforceable policies and public scrutiny, or otherwise must be decommissioned for the greater good of our community.

We call on the Waukesha County Board of Supervisors to mandate the Judiciary and Law Enforcement Committee to allocate time for a comprehensive public meeting and discussion on the matter of ALPRs. This meeting should cover various aspects of these technologies, ensuring that they are employed responsibly and with proper oversight. 

Join me in urging our local representatives to open a dialogue on this matter. Sign this petition to demand action and accountability from the public servants of Waukesha County.