Chetek City Council votes to terminate Flock camera contract

2 September 2026.

On August 27, 2026, the Chetek City Council voted unanimously to bag the city's two Automated License Plate Reader cameras and seek termination of its Flock Safety contract. Police Chief Ron Ambrozaitis requested the action, citing safety concerns after city employees received threats tied to the cameras' installation in May and the resulting public controversy.

The first-year cost of $18,000 was funded through donations made to the police department following the April 2023 line-of-duty deaths of two officers, not from municipal taxpayer funds. Ambrozaitis had signed the multi-year contract without prior council approval under departmental purchasing practices that existed at the time. The council addressed this oversight on August 19 by adopting a new procurement policy limiting department heads' independent purchasing authority to budgeted items under $5,000 and requiring council approval for larger purchases or multi-year contracts.

During the special 11:30 a.m. meeting, council members expressed divided views on the technology itself. Alderperson Bryce Burdick argued the cameras serve legitimate law enforcement purposes and that local decisions should not be dictated by outside pressure. Alderperson Earl Grover acknowledged the cameras' public safety value but noted national misunderstandings about data use. Alderperson Terry Hight raised concerns about the lack of prior council review and pointed to a national trend of municipalities reconsidering Flock systems. Mayor Jeff Martin indicated fatigue from the sustained controversy had reached an unsustainable level.

Flock Safety representatives indicated willingness to review contract termination if the council voted to request it. Readers can check whether their own municipality has adopted procurement policies governing ALPR or similar surveillance technology contracts.

Read the original reporting: The Chetek Alert.