Find out who's watching — and put it in writing.
Automatic License Plate Readers are going up across Wisconsin, often with little public notice. This free toolkit explains what they are, what records exist, and gives you a ready-to-send open-records request grounded in Wisconsin law (Wis. Stat. §§ 19.31–19.39).
Build your records request
Fill in the blanks. The tool assembles a complete, legally-grounded request you can copy, print, or email. About two minutes.
What these words actually mean
- ALPRAuto License Plate Reader
- A camera that photographs passing vehicles and turns the plate (often make, color, features too) into searchable data tagged with time and location.
- Flock Safety
- A major private ALPR vendor. Its cameras feed a searchable network that agencies can opt to share with one another.
- Network AuditAudit Log
- The record of who ran each search — user/agency, reason entered, date/time, query. Usually the single most revealing public record.
- Network Sharing
- The setting that lets an agency grant other agencies (in-state, out-of-state, federal) access. One action can open a local network to hundreds.
- Hotlist / BOLOBe On the Lookout
- Plates that trigger an alert when seen. Can be official or custom — created by an individual officer, sometimes with no expiration.
- Retention Period
- How long data is stored before deletion. Often 30 days by default, but configurable — and reality may differ from the marketing.
- Record Subject
- A person a record refers to. Relevant if you request data about yourself.
- Custodian
- The official responsible for responding to your request. You don't need their name — "Open Records Custodian" is enough.
How records requests work in Wisconsin
No. The law lets any person request records, and in most cases you don't have to explain why or identify yourself. It starts from a presumption of complete public access (Wis. Stat. § 19.31).
"As soon as practicable and without delay." No fixed deadline, but the Wisconsin DOJ has treated roughly ten business days as reasonable for routine requests. An open-ended "we'll get to it eventually" is itself a denial.
Fees are limited to "actual, necessary and direct cost." Location fees apply only if they reach $50 or more. Prepayment can be required above $5. They cannot charge for redaction time (§ 19.35(3); Milwaukee Journal Sentinel v. Milwaukee).
A denial generally must be in writing with specific reasons. Challenge it via a mandamus action (§ 19.37). Win, and the court can award attorney fees, costs, and damages of at least $100. You generally have up to three years.
No. After receiving your request, responsive records can't be destroyed until it's granted, or for at least 60 days after a denial — longer if you file a court action. File early.
Records used in government business are public regardless of where stored, including a vendor's cloud. Electronic records are covered (§ 19.32(2)). One limit: they need not create a new record, so request the data "as it is kept" (the standard CSV export).
Static template library
Prefer to write it yourself? Grab a base template and edit. (The generator above fills these in automatically.)
Network audit / search log
Network sharing partner list
Retention policy + vendor contract
Your rights, in numbers
Wisconsin Public Records Law — Wis. Stat. §§ 19.31–19.39.
Reason required
Any person can request; generally no need to say why or who you are.
Location-fee floor
They can bill for locating records only at $50 or more.
Redaction cost
You can't be charged for time spent blacking out info.
Days protected
Records can't be destroyed for at least 60 days after a denial.
Minimum damages
Win a wrongful-denial suit: fees, costs, and at least $100.
Time to act
Generally up to three years to bring an enforcement action.
Filed a request? I'll help you read the results.
I've analyzed millions of these records. If your town's data looks strange, send it over — and join the list so we can hold the line together.