RACINE, Wis. — Racine, Oconomowoc and Waukesha are joining a growing number of Wisconsin communities reconsidering Flock Safety’s automated license-plate reader system after local officials raised concerns about how driver data is stored, shared and searched. The three communities acted Tuesday night. Racine and Oconomowoc voted to terminate their contracts with Flock, while Waukesha voted to stop funding its program after 2026. In Racine, the Common Council approved ending the contract after nearly two hours of debate. The vote was tied 7-7 until Mayor Cory Mason cast the deciding vote in favor of termination. “I’m deeply troubled by all of this data being given to a private third-party company that is doing things with us, that to me is not transparent,” Mason said before voting. “I’m glad that we are going to terminate this contract.” Racine’s cameras will remain active for about 30 days, allowing police to complete work on ongoing investigations before the agreement ends. The decision came after Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling ordered his office’s Flock cameras removed earlier this month. The sheriff’s office said it learned that Flock had created a separate traffic dataset that could be retained for as long as five years. That was inconsistent with the office’s understanding that camera data would be deleted after 30 days, officials said, and they considered the practice a violation of the agreement. Oconomowoc’s Common Council voted 5-2 to cancel its contract. Mayor Matt Rosek said the police department had used the cameras responsibly, but said the broader technology must meet the community’s expectations for security, accountability and privacy. “Despite our strong track record, the decision before us today is about whether the system and technology surrounding it continues to provide the level of security, accountability, privacy, and public trust that our community expects,” Rosek said. Ending the Oconomowoc agreement could cost the city $18,000 in 2027, the final year of the contract. City officials said the potential expense has been included in the draft budget. Waukesha’s council voted to end funding for its Flock program after 2026. Police Chief Dan Thompson said the cameras had helped officers solve crimes, but preserving public trust was more important than continuing the program without changes. “While Flock technology has assisted our officers in numerous investigations, we believe it is appropriate to move forward in a manner that reflects our values and preserves the trust our community places in us,” Thompson said in a statement. The Waukesha and Oconomowoc votes came less than a week after the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty filed a lawsuit over Flock cameras in Waukesha County. The lawsuit, brought on behalf of residents and taxpayers, names Waukesha County and 11 cities and villages. The case argues that police should obtain a warrant or rely on a valid legal exception before searching the network for information that could reveal people’s movements. It seeks limits on how the system is searched, rather than requiring every camera to be removed. Flock cameras photograph license plates and other vehicle characteristics, giving law enforcement a searchable record that can assist investigations. Critics say the network can enable broad tracking of residents’ travel without sufficient public oversight or judicial review. Flock says its license-plate records are deleted according to each customer’s agreement. The company says data retained for up to five years is aggregated and de-identified traffic information, not individual license-plate records. The latest decisions add Racine, Oconomowoc and Waukesha to a list of Wisconsin communities and law enforcement agencies stepping back from Flock, including Kenosha, Sheboygan and several county sheriff’s offices. Milwaukee and Milwaukee County have kept their systems while moving to strengthen oversight.