MANAWA – Police Chief Jason Severson asked the Manawa Common Council on Monday to formally terminate the city’s contract with Flock Safety for breach of contract following a countywide decision to suspend the automated license plate reader (ALPR) system.
The decision to end ties with the company comes shortly after the Waupaca County Law Enforcement Administrators Association jointly suspended fixed-mounted Flock cameras on Sept. 8, citing concerns that local search data could be exposed through out-of-state public records requests and compromise sensitive investigative information.
“Flock has lost my trust,” Severson said.
Severson noted that he had been satisfied with the available facts until new details emerged in early September, prompting a change in opinion.
“Everything I had heard up until that point was misinformation being spread on the internet,” Severson said. “I will not allow the reputation of the city, or myself, to be tarnished by a company that doesn’t do what they say they do.”
Manawa was still in the permitting phase of installation when Severson requested that Flock suspend the onboarding process. Although Manawa Police had access to the software for about one month, Severson confirmed officers conducted no searches in the system and that he personally disabled all role permissions allowing for searches.
Severson has also reached out to update the two local donors, Treehouse Foods and the Manawa Masonic Center, which together pledged $7,300 toward installation and first-year service costs. Any decision on returning or holding those funds, however, remains on hold until the city resolves its signed equipment contract with Flock.
Despite moving to cut ties with the vendor, Severson said that ALPR and similar systems remain a valuable “force multiplier” for law enforcement.
Because the Manawa Police Department does not operate on a 24/7 schedule, Severson said ALPR systems are a “potential gamechanger,” capable of supplementing existing live-view city cameras.
He added that automated alerts could assist officers with missing persons, stolen vehicles, or stolen license plates, noting the department likely would have had a strong opportunity to solve a case involving a gun stolen from a vehicle several months prior had the technology been operational.
During the Sept. 21 meeting, Severson said that he decided to cut ties with Flock after he learned the company was attempting to sell traffic data analytics derived from camera scans to other Wisconsin municipalities like Sheboygan and Kenosha, contradicting company promises that local data would not be sold.
Severson said City Attorney David Forsythe confirmed the practice constitutes a breach of contract. The council unanimously voted to authorize Forsythe to issue a formal contract cancellation letter to Flock.
Mayor Mike Frazier supported the vote, noting that while license plate reader technology remains a valuable tool for locating missing persons and solving crimes, the city will look for an alternative vendor it can trust in the future.
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