Sheboygan terminates Flock Safety contract over data sale attempt

9 September 2026. [AI first draft. Verify every fact against the source before publishing.]

The Sheboygan Common Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to terminate the city's contract with Flock Safety, effective December 31st. The decision followed disclosure that a Flock Safety representative had attempted to sell private data collected from the city's 15 cameras to the Sheboygan Department of Public Works. According to the city's agreement with Flock Safety, the company does not own the data generated by the cameras and was contractually required to retain it for only 30 days.

Police Chief Kurt Zempel acknowledged that Flock Safety cameras had provided investigative leads that helped solve crimes. However, he emphasized that trust was the determining factor in the termination decision. Zempel stated that the company's actions appeared to violate both the master agreement and the city's trust with Flock Safety. He told the council that while technological tools can improve public safety, they must be deployed in ways consistent with community expectations and that build legitimate trust in law enforcement.

The council voted to end the contract immediately effective December 31st, rescind any appropriations for Flock Safety in the 2027 budget, and keep the cameras covered until the contract expires. The termination occurred after the data sale attempt was disclosed to city leadership. This case illustrates a critical issue in ALPR technology deployment: data ownership and use protocols. Residents in other municipalities can check their local police or city council records to verify whether their jurisdiction has similar contractual protections regarding camera data retention periods and restrictions on data sales or sharing.

Read the original reporting: 1330 & 101.5 WHBL.