A gun range in Cudahy removed Flock cameras from its parking lot in response to a viral video raising concerns about privacy, the latest example of community pushback against the controversial AI-powered license plate tracking system.
Eagle Sports Range confirmed in a statement posted on Facebook that it took down every camera, which the video showed were positioned to capture license plates of vehicles entering the range’s parking lot.
Eagle Sports Range wrote in the statement it installed the cameras after break-ins at other Milwaukee-area gun ranges.
“We had no idea the system would later be used in ways that raise serious privacy concerns,” the statement said.
Eagle Sports Range removed the Flock cameras after the video — which is posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter — had been viewed by hundreds of thousands of people. But, the range said it tried to remove them earlier this year in February, and was told by Flock it had a contractual obligation to keep them in place.
Six months later, Eagle Sports took matters into its own hands.
“We will deal with Flock and the contract on our own time,” the statement said. “For now, the cameras are gone.”
Flock cameras a hot-button issue for Wisconsin residents
While Eagle Sports Range is the latest example of pushback against Flock cameras in southeastern Wisconsin, others across the state have criticized the devices over concerns about privacy and misuse of the cameras.
Flock cameras can read license plates, but they can also register car color, make and model, stickers, damage and other identifying features. That information can be uploaded to a database that can be accessed by law enforcement and federal agencies nationwide.
Last year, at least 221 Wisconsin law enforcement agencies used Flock cameras, according to an August 2025 investigation by the Wisconsin Examiner. That number has since dwindled, as some agencies and local governments — including including UW Madison police and Dane County — decided to end their contracts with Flock.
On Aug. 6, officers in Brookfield detained two innocent people on Interstate 94 after a Flock alert connected them to a homicide. City of Brookfield Chief Chris Garcia defended the technology, saying the mishap was a human-error; Milwaukee police backed up Garcia.
Multiple Milwaukee police officers have been charged with misusing Flock cameras.
In June, former officer Josue Ayala pleaded guilty to misusing the Flock technology to track an ex-girlfriend and her partner. Ayala, 34, was sentenced with 12 months on probation and a $500 fine. Ayala resigned from the Milwaukee Police Department on March 4, several days after he was accused of misusing the Flock system.
Shortly before Ayala’s sentencing, Milwaukee authorities charged police detective Tehrangi Chapman with misconduct and misuse of Flock.
Jack Albright can be reached at JAlbright@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Cudahy gun range removes controversial Flock cameras amid privacy concerns
Reporting by Jack Albright, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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By Jack Albright, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
