Committee approves three encroachment agreements for Strawberry Creek private license‑plate cameras

Kenosha’s Public Safety and Welfare Committee on Feb. 10 approved three encroachment agreements allowing private license‑plate reader cameras installed by Strawberry Creek Homeowners Association to remain in the city right‑of‑way.

The agreements cover three entrances in the Strawberry Creek neighborhood and involve the homeowner association, Flock Group (the camera vendor and cloud‑storage provider) and the City of Kenosha, the committee chair said. Committee members approved the three items as presented, with one correction to a property description in the backup materials.

The matters drew technical questions from committee members about who can view the video and how the data is stored. A Police Department representative said the cameras are privately owned and "we do not have access to them," adding that police may request specific date‑and‑time footage from the HOA and that Flock stores the recordings in the cloud. "It wouldn't really be accessed. They would watch a date and time that we give them," the representative said.

Committee members and staff also discussed time lags in obtaining footage from private cameras. A committee member noted that private systems function like other private video sources—such as business surveillance systems or Ring doorbell footage—where law enforcement typically requests footage rather than having direct, real‑time access. The Police Department representative described the private cameras as a supplemental investigative tool and said any sharing would be coordinated through the HOA.

One committee member urged that, as a practical matter, private owners would likely share footage. "I can't imagine the homeowners' association going through this expense without actually sharing all this information with the police department," the member said.

Committee staff noted a clerical error in the materials for item 3 and said the correct location is "70 Third Street" (corner of County Highway MB), not the address listed in the backup. The committee approved items 1 through 3 as amended.

Votes at a glance: Motion to approve items 1–3 (three encroachment agreements for license‑plate reader cameras) — approved by voice vote; committee chair announced the ayes and stated the motion carried.

Why it matters: The agreements formalize placement of private automated license‑plate readers in public right‑of‑way, raising operational questions about when and how police obtain footage from privately owned cameras and how quickly recordings are available for investigations.

The committee asked staff to report back on whether private Flock cameras can be made available to the police more quickly or under an established process. The committee did not adopt any new city policy at the meeting; members said they would seek additional information and bring recommendations to a future meeting.