Wausau police outline benefits and safeguards of Flock Safety ALPR system, cite successes and opt‑out of nationwide sharing

The Wausau Public Health & Safety Committee spent a substantial portion of its meeting on the Wausau Police Department’s use of Flock Safety automated license‑plate readers (ALPRs). Captain Benjamin (Ben) Graham described investigative successes, oversight measures and the program’s costs.

Graham opened with a case he said would likely have grown cold before ALPR: officers matched a vehicle captured on business surveillance to an ALPR hit and arrested a suspect in a sexual‑exposure case. He told the committee the department has used ALPR data to locate stolen vehicles, missing persons and suspects in serious crimes and said the packet contains 35 additional investigative summaries where ALPR produced leads.

Graham outlined technical and policy safeguards: images of vehicle rears are retained for 30 days unless downloaded as evidence, the system does not perform facial recognition, users must be trained and use multi‑factor authentication, and the department runs a monthly review of flagged searches (e.g., repeated queries or unusual camera usage) in addition to an annual audit. He acknowledged misuse by officers in other Wisconsin agencies and said such behavior would be investigated and prosecuted.

On data sharing, Graham said Wausau participates in statewide sharing and in selective agency‑level exchanges (about 215 agencies) but opted in May to stop nationwide automatic sharing because nationwide queries can create audit records with details the department may wish to redact for active investigations. He said the department can still request agency‑by‑agency assistance when out‑of‑state searches are necessary.

Graham said the system has 20 cameras, paid at roughly $2,500 per camera per year—about $50,000 annually—and the city is in a five‑year contract that runs through the end of 2028; he warned there is no convenience clause to exit the contract early without cost. He pointed committee members to a new transparency portal on the police department’s website that includes policy, camera locations and sharing rules.

Committee members asked for more regular public reporting. Alder Watson requested a concise annual audit summary describing trends and red‑flag findings; Graham agreed to present an update in January.

Next steps: Captain Graham said he will provide an annual audit summary in January and continue monthly internal reviews of flagged searches.