RACINE, Wis. — The Racine Common Council voted 8 to 6 to terminate the city's contract with Flock Safety, but the cameras will remain active for 30 more days to give the police department a grace period.
The vote came after nearly two hours of debate over how to balance public safety with data privacy concerns raised by residents.
Alder Jens Jorgensen supported ending the contract.
"I truly believe the will of the people should be the law of the land," Jorgensen said.
Alder Maurice Horton questioned whether council members fully understood the technology before voting to remove it.
"I really like to know how many alders went and seen how Flock really works. I don't work for law enforcement but we are taking away a tool," Horton said.
Flock cameras photograph license plates and are only supposed to be used for criminal investigations.
Racine Police Chief Alexander Ramirez said the department has used Flock cameras since 2022 and called the technology a valuable tool for solving crimes including shootings, homicides, missing persons cases and stolen vehicle investigations.
"When we got it that's what we were going to use it for, to help solve crime to help reduce crime. We have reduc...