Stevens Point suspends use of Flock cameras

STEVENS POINT — Mayor Mike Wiza has announced the city will suspend the use of flock cameras effective Sept. 8.

According to Flock’s website, Flock cameras are used to primarily record vehicle sightings and capture license plates.

After recent events in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, Wiza stated, “Allegations from the City of Sheboygan have raised concerns that we share regarding the sharing and management of the data collected. Reports are surfacing all over the country about the system being misused by municipal and state employees who have access to the data, and recently the Governor of Florida banned the cameras from all highways for “growing signs of camera misuse, and concerns about surveillance.”

Sheboygan recently covered all their Flock cameras and the city is currently exploring an end to their contract with the company. The fallout comes after Flock allegedly tracked five years worth of data from their cameras in the city of Sheboygan, something the city states they were unaware of.

In a press release, Wiza stated, “Our contract for use has very specific language to ensure our data remains under our control and is only used for law enforcement purposes, by those we allow. We require a level of trust and confidence in everyone we associate with and work hard to ensure that trust is maintained to our community’s expectations.”

All of the Flock cameras in Stevens Point will be covered by Sept. 8, and Mayor Wiza stated the city is going to “explore termination of our contract with Flock.”