STEVENS POINT, WI (WSAU) –One week after Stevens Point covered its FLOCK cameras, Mayor Mike Wiza stopped short of saying the city’s relationship with the provider is over. Still, he says there is significant strain.
“Where the discussion goes depends not just on our community, but on communities across the state. There is enough controversy that they have some serious hill climbing to do to reestablish public trust. That discussion, wherever it leads us, is going to play a big role in where we end up,” said Wiza.
That controversy comes after city leaders in Sheboygan discovered the company was marketing traffic data from the city, which wasn’t allowed under the terms of their contract. Wiza says that has him wondering what’s being done with his city’s data. “That’s why I issued the executive order to effectively deactivate them by covering them up. Until we can determine exactly where we stand, what assurances we have that the company will live up to their end of the bargain.”
Concerns aside, Wiza says the cameras have served the city’s police department well. “They do serve a very valuable purpose. I want to be very, very clear on that. We have had them installed since 2023, and [they have helped solve] hundreds of crimes in the city, including felony warrants and missing persons.
“But, there is a downside. And that is what has really eroded the trust. We have reason to believe that even though the contract says they won’t sell our data, they’re selling the data,” added Wiza.
Stevens Point isn’t the only community that has covered up its cameras. Dozens of cities and counties have either canceled contracts or covered up the cameras so they can’t record data. Several other communities are discussing similar moves.
Any further action to end the city’s relationship with FLOCK would have to go through the Police and Fire Commission.
Other topics Wiza discussed with WSAU’s Mike Leischner include:
Start of video- Construction update
11:00- FLOCK Cameras
16:40- Poetry Booth
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