Mayor’s Column September 5, 2026
Rohn Bishop, Mayor of Waupun
Hello Waupun,
Welcome to September!
As you know, Flock Cameras have really become a big topic over the last couple of months across the nation, and Waupun has not been immune. You likely saw in the news yesterday that effective immediately, we along with all agencies in Fond du Lac County have deactivated the use of our Flock Cameras and the camera lenses have also been covered in Waupun.
Why are we doing this?
- Even though Waupun was never a part of the national Flock database system, we recently learned that law enforcement agencies in other states are releasing records that are not their records, and this has recently affected an agency in our county, (not Waupun) as this was an open investigation. This creates problems for open investigations that cross state lines. In Wisconsin, we would not release any other agency search information if they utilized our cameras for their open investigations. We consider that the searching our agency’s record(s).
- Locally, people have been manipulating the positions of our units on a regular basis, which requires a tech to come out to put them back online. We haven’t been able to utilize our cameras often in the past few months because of that. Our cameras are currently facing up. More and more cameras in the area are being damaged (Dodge County), and we can’t afford paying for insurance for these units, and I’m sure the cost of the subscription will increase.
- It seems every day there is new legislation “bipartisan” that is being introduced around the country and we can’t be in a contract for something we likely won’t be able to use. Hopefully, we will get some clarity from the legislature in the near future about the use of fixed license plate readers; and the networks that go along with them.
I am confident that our officers utilized the system for justified law enforcement investigative purposes. We instituted county-wide and local protocols, including training all users, requiring documented justification before every search, and conducting regular audits with both automated and administrator-led reviews. These protocols were designed to ensure the system was used legally and only for legitimate law enforcement purposes. This tool was very effective and helped solve a lot of criminal acts and helped save lives by locating missing, endangered, and a suicidal subject throughout our area.
Lately, the response to the cameras has been passionate, including several false accusations, and because of those accusations, I want to stress the Waupun Police Department used the cameras the right way, helping to keep Waupun safe!
In Waupun, officers needed a case number and had to submit a detailed explanation of why they wanted to look into a specific license plate. Or system was audited monthly by our Lieutenant of Investigations.
Another accusation is that I tried to not be transparent about our camera program, and this has led some to call for a recall election of the mayor. I would like to respond to that accusation here.
The Flock camera system was authorized at the November 12, 2024 council meeting as part of the Police Department’s investigative budget purchases. The budget is a public document, and there was a public hearing. There was then a follow up presentation from Chief Rasch to the Common Council on January 14, 2025. The Flock camera program was on the council’s agenda for that meeting. The meeting minutes indicate that there were members of the public and media present at both meetings. I don’t recall anyone speaking in favor or in opposition about the Flock Camera program.
The contract was a two-year contract and is set to expire on October 18, 2026.
I don’t remember receiving any feedback from anyone over the past two years about the program until I started getting tagged in Facebook posts this summer. The pushback was led by two individuals; and I have talked or interacted with both, and both were offered the opportunity to visit the police department to learn more. Both declined.
As the program started making news and Flock Cameras became more controversial, I have written multiple Mayor’s Columns addressing them. I’ve also done several radio interviews (WFDL, WBEV, and WTMJ) explaining how Waupun uses them, and the guard rails our city has in place. Those interviews were also shared to social media platforms.
I believe Waupun (and I) has been transparent about this program.
As for the threat of a recall election, if that’s what the people of Waupun wish to do, it’s your right to do so, and as Harry Truman used to say, “The Buck Stops With Me.” As Mayor, I ultimately signed off on the program. I did so because the Waupun Police Department asked for it because they strongly felt the program was a good law enforcement tool that was keeping Waupun safer, and I trust our department. I have a ton of respect for Chief Jeremy Rasch and Deputy Chief Ted Sullivan, and all the folks on our department who work hard to keep Waupun a safe little city. I also respect both the Dodge and Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s departments, and both participated in the program.
As I stated earlier, the cameras weren’t controversial until recently, and as they have become controversial, we responded. I want to thank the Waupun cops for all they do, and I believe the Waupun Police Department and the guard rails they had in place was a leader in using this program the right way.
In other news, people are offering to donate towards the new proposed splash pad. If you wish to do so you can donate to the city and we will segregate the funding to go towards the operational cost of maintaining and operating the splash pad.
Next weekend is Volksfest! I hope to see you there!
Finally, I hope you all enjoy your Labor Day weekend.
Thank you. Keep calm and Waup-on!
Mayor Rohn
