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Committee approves three HOA agreements for private license‑plate reader cameras after access questions
Summary
The Kenosha Public Safety & Welfare Committee approved three right‑of‑way encroachment agreements allowing homeowner associations to operate private license‑plate‑reader cameras; police said the systems are HOA‑owned and stored by vendor Flock, and any access requires HOA cooperation, which may introduce delays.
The Kenosha Public Safety & Welfare Committee on Feb. 10 approved three right‑of‑way encroachment agreements that permit homeowner associations in Strawberry Creek to place private license‑plate‑reader cameras adjacent to private property.
Clerk read the three agreements, naming individual property owners and the Strawberry Creek Homeowners Association; the contracts authorize Flock‑branded cameras to operate in locations that border the public right of way. A police department official told the committee the devices are paid for and maintained by the HOAs and that the city does not have direct, unilateral access to the footage.
“These are theirs. We do not have access to them,” the police department official said, adding that the department could request footage and that HOAs typically would provide access through their president. The official described the systems as an investigative tool that may require the HOA to retrieve or share footage rather than a camera the city can query directly.
Committee members asked whether Flock or similar providers offer near‑real‑time search features for law enforcement. The official answered that private systems—like Ring or other non‑city cameras—can introduce a lag and are not directly searchable by the city’s systems unless the HOA grants access.
An alderman moved to approve items one through three (with item three presented as in the backup); the motion was seconded and carried by voice vote. The chair recorded an aye vote.
Committee members also noted a clerical correction requested for item three’s location in the backup materials; staff said the record would be corrected before the item goes to full Council.
Why it matters: The agreements authorize private, HOA‑funded surveillance equipment in public‑facing locations. Police access to footage will generally depend on HOA cooperation and provider processes, which can affect the speed of investigations and raise questions about data control and privacy.
What’s next: The items will move to Council with the corrected location noted for item three.
