Rights Group Sues to Require Warrants for Police Use of Flock Cameras
WILL sued Waukesha County to require warrants for police accessing Flock camera data.
Why it matters: This lawsuit spotlights key privacy issues as law enforcement increasingly uses AI surveillance tools without judicial oversight. Legal counsel should review policing and data protection policies accordingly.
- WILL sued 11 Wisconsin municipalities on September 10, 2026, alleging warrantless searches of Flock Safety license plate reader data violate the Fourth Amendment.
- Over 120 Flock cameras in Waukesha County collect vehicle movement data accessible by police without warrants.
- Muskego police searched the Flock database 300+ times in one month; other agencies ran 900,000+ searches in the same period.
- The lawsuit seeks to mandate warrants for data access except in emergencies or with consent, not to remove the cameras.
The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) filed a lawsuit on September 10, 2026, against Waukesha County and 11 municipalities including Muskego, Oconomowoc, New Berlin, Mukwonago, Waukesha, Delafield, Pewaukee, Elm Grove, Menomonee Falls, Brookfield, and Hartland. The suit alleges that law enforcement's use of over 120 Flock Safety license plate reader cameras without judicial warrants violates Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable searches.
Flock cameras collect license plate data to track vehicle movements. Police agencies access this data freely; for example, Muskego police searched the Flock database more than 300 times between July 25 and August 24, 2026. Across agencies, the number of such searches exceeded 900,000 during that period, raising concerns about unregulated surveillance. WILL president Rick Esenberg explained that the suit aims not at stopping the use of the cameras, but at imposing "reasonable safeguards" by requiring warrants for access unless there's an emergency or consent.
Critics highlight the disparity between warrant requirements for other digital data and the free access to Flock surveillance. Pete Karas, co-founder of NoCams Muskego, noted, "If the government wants to search your cell phone, they need to get a warrant... but in this case, they can monitor and track you, and no warrant is needed." Recent reports show misuse examples, such as the Waukesha County Sheriff's Office tracking Navy veteran Napoleon Jones over 100 times after he lawfully recorded a traffic stop.
Flock Safety operates about 120,000 cameras nationally, intensifying scrutiny over privacy protections. Similar issues led Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther to pause the city's use of Flock cameras on September 8, 2026. This lawsuit fits into a broader national debate about balancing public safety technologies with citizens' privacy rights.
By the numbers:
- 120+ — Flock cameras installed in Waukesha County.
- 300+ — Muskego police searches of Flock database in one month.
- 900,000+ — Searches conducted by other agencies in same month.