A Flock camera in Oshkosh. March 31, 2026. PC: Fox 11 Online
TWO RIVERS, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) –Officials are pushing back on concerns about the city’s use of Flock public safety cameras, saying the technology has helped police investigate serious crimes over the past year and that funding for the system was approved through the normal public budget process.
The City of Two Rivers and the Two Rivers Police Department said they are aware of recent community concerns about the cameras, including questions about privacy, data sharing, funding and how the technology is being used. The city said residents “have every right to ask those questions,” and that when local government uses technology to support public safety, the community should expect transparency, safeguards and accountability.
City officials said that in the past 12 months, the cameras have assisted police investigations involving arson, stolen vehicles, hit-and-runs, significant theft, endangered children, child abuse, juvenile runaways, drug activity, overdoses and homicide investigations.
In one arson investigation, the city said Flock provided information that helped locate a suspect. After a $9,000 theft, police identified a suspect vehicle and followed investigative leads to Milwaukee, where an arrest was made and a significant amount of stolen property was recovered. In a hit-and-run case, officers used a vehicle description and the camera system to locate a suspect vehicle within minutes.
The city also cited cases involving stolen vehicles. In one, an alert identified a stolen vehicle leaving Two Rivers on Highway 310; Manitowoc County Sheriff’s deputies were notified and ultimately stopped the vehicle on Interstate 43. In another, officers were alerted that a different stolen vehicle had entered Two Rivers, quickly located it and returned it to its owner.
In a juvenile runaway case, the city said Two Rivers police assisted Manitowoc County investigators in determining that a vehicle associated with the juvenile had most recently been detected in the Sheboygan area.
Officials said the city’s interest in strategically located public safety cameras predates the 2024 disappearance of Elijah Vue. For more than 15 years, the city said, Two Rivers has recognized the potential value of cameras at key public locations, including parks, public streets, public infrastructure and Neshotah Beach, but struggled to find a system that offered investigative value without building and maintaining an expensive citywide network.
The city said the Elijah Vue investigation “tragically demonstrated” the gaps in existing infrastructure, as investigators worked to trace movements, identify vehicles, establish timelines and follow leads with limited city-owned camera resources. Officials said that during and after that investigation, residents asked why additional cameras were not available to help law enforcement.
Two Rivers ultimately pursued a targeted approach using automated license plate reader technology at strategic locations rather than placing traditional surveillance cameras throughout the community, officials said. The city currently operates Flock cameras along major highway corridors and around Neshotah Beach, saying the goal is to provide investigators useful information at locations where vehicles are most likely to enter, leave or travel through the community.
In regards to funding, the city rejected claims that money for the cameras was secretly inserted into the budget. Officials said the initial installation was included in the city’s 2025 capital borrowing program at an estimated cost of up to $10,000. The actual installation cost about $5,300 and was charged to the appropriate capital account, the city said.
The city said the approximately $18,000 initial annual Flock expense was budgeted in the Police Department’s computer software operating account, the same general budget area used for other technology supporting modern police operations. Officials said city budgets go through a public review and approval process that includes departmental review, committee and commission discussions, City Council work sessions and final council consideration.
While acknowledging privacy concerns, the city said it has reduced Flock data retention to seven days, that the Police Department conducts monthly audits of the system and searches, and that access is limited to legitimate law enforcement purposes.
Officials said the cameras identify vehicles and license plates, and are not facial-recognition cameras identifying people inside vehicles. They also said Two Rivers officers are not continuously watching live video feeds of residents traveling around the community.
The city said it will continue evaluating safeguards and policies as technology, laws and community expectations evolve, and that it is working to balance protecting individual privacy with giving police tools to protect the public and investigate crime.
Many other cities in Northeast Wisconsin have decided to end services with Flock, including Appleton, Grand Chute, Oshkosh, and Sturgeon Bay. Green Bay decided however, to continue using Flock cameras. Police Chief Chris Davis said he was supportive of new guidelines the company issued for its product.
Several police officers, including in Northeast Wisconsin, have been charged with misusing the technology.
- A Menasha police officer was sentenced to six months in jail for using the system to stalk his ex-girlfriend.
- A Florida officer has been accused of using Flock cameras to track his estranged wife more than 700 times.
- Earlier this month, a Flock camera flagged a car for a Milwaukee homicide. Brookfield Police pulled over the driver, guns drawn. It turned out to be the wrong person.
- In June, a former Milwaukee police officer pleaded guilty to misconduct for using the system to track his ex-girlfriend. He was fined and sentenced to probation.
- A Kenosha County Sheriff’s Deputy was not charged for using Flock to track another deputy he was dating.
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