City of Fitchburg, Dane County reject police surveillance technology contracts

The Fitchburg Common Council on Tuesday night rejected a budget amendment that would have funded a seven-year, roughly $1.8 million police technology package that includes automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras, drones and a camera-sharing program with local businesses. However, they left money in the 2027 budget to fund a “real-time information center” for police, so the issue could come up again in the coming months. Also Tuesday night, the Dane County Board’s Public Protection and Judiciary Committee rejected a smaller, $331,400, five-year contract between Axon and the Dane County Sheriff’s Office for ALPRs only. Committee members said they heard from many residents, none in favor of adding more ALPRs. Supervisor Amy Larson cited privacy concerns. “We can craft the perfect contract with the best litigation-proof terms, but if we don’t have the public confidence and the actors on the other side of the contract, I can’t support having these in place,” Larson said. Both Dane Cou