Municipal Services Committee - Regular Meeting

Okay, it is 5.30. Let's call to order this meeting of the Safety and Licensing Committee for Wednesday, June 24th, 2026, 5.30 p.m. Please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. Okay, thank you. Welcome, everyone. Roll call of membership. Four of the five members of the committee are present tonight. Alder Jones was possibly gonna join remotely. I don't see her on, so she'll be excused. I'm Chris Krote, the representative from Aldermanic District 14 and the chair of the committee, and to my left is... Denise Fenton, District 6. Patrick Hayden, District 7. Josh Feinberg, District 1. Great, thank you. Okay, welcome everyone. We have a pretty full agenda with some important items on our agenda, so please be patient as we work through the agenda. I will be taking some things out of order, so just to try to manage the time here. So next on our agenda is the approval of the minutes from our previous meeting, which was held on June 10th. So moved. Second. Motion is second to approve the minutes. Any corrections or changes? Not seeing any. All those in favor of approving the minutes, signify by saying aye. Aye. All opposed? Any abstentions? All right, minutes are approved 4-0. Okay, no scheduled appearances or public hearings. I'm moving right into our action items. Actually, before we get to the action items, what I'd like to do is, the Appleton Area School District is here tonight to present an update to the truancy ordinance. I would like to take that update up first, and then get to the action items, and there's one related to this. But we've been, this committee has been taking up this item for several months, many months, and we've been getting regular updates from the district. This is an update related to the end of the school year and the rest of the data that the committee has been asking for. So what I'd like to do is take that update up first and welcome the school district up to the podium, whoever's going to speak first. We do have two attachments on our packet and we were handed out a printed copy. So I'll turn the podium mic on at name and address for the record, please.

Hi, I'm Stacy Nitka. I'm the Elementary Attendance Coordinator at AASD.

Okay, go ahead.

All right, good evening and thank you again for allowing us the opportunity to speak with you tonight and share additional information and data with you. There are a few of us who will be speaking. After I speak, regarding some recurring themes and questions that have continued to come up, Christy DeBoer, who is one of our high school Administrators is going to speak about her experience with families and students at the school. And then after that, Stephanie Marta will come up and share all of the end of the year high school data, which I think you have a handout for, but she'll walk you through it. So there has been a lot of discussion around this topic related to research and truancy and how research indicates that using tools like a citation has been shown to be ineffective and harmful for students. However, when referring to and using the research as an argument for why a citation shouldn't be utilized as a last resort, it's critical to be specific about what the research is actually examining and to ensure what is being referenced is peer-reviewed, peer-reviewed research and not just opinion articles. We have heard many broad statements that punitive measures do not work to address truancy, but many of those conclusions are based on research where punitive measures are used as the primary intervention. or when more restrictive means are used, like probation or arrest, rather than examining the use of citations as an intervention after many other supportive interventions have been attempted, which is the model that we believe in. We completely agree with the conclusion of a majority of the research. Utilizing punitive measures before addressing barriers or root causes is unlikely to be effective for a majority of students. It would not be best practice and would not align with my values as a social worker. That is exactly why we spend the vast majority of our time and resources on supportive interventions and prevention work. Our attendance teams work extensively to identify and address barriers long before a citation is ever considered. We help with transportation. We help with access to mental health support. We adjust schedules, provide mentoring, assist with housing-related challenges, connect families to community resources, and much more. Our focus is understanding the underlying causes of absenteeism and putting the appropriate supports in place to help students attend school successfully. Only after those efforts have been exhausted and after we have done everything we reasonably can to support the student and family would a citation even be considered. In that context, I do not believe our approach is reflective of the research that is being referenced regarding punitive measures being ineffective and harmful. Rather, citations serve as a very limited last step intervention within a broader system that is overwhelmingly focused on support, problem solving, and barrier removal. The Wisconsin Department of Instruction, which is the authority on education in our state, outlines best practices for addressing truancy within our school system. Their guidance indicates that, quote, the most effective truancy strategies are multileveled with early interventions provided by school and community agencies and the justice system acting as the last resort for a much smaller number of youth and families requiring more intensive support, end quote. This statement highlights our exact model of support for attendance in AASD. DPI specifically states that school systems and staff have many tools to increase attendance rates and reduce truancy. But it's possible that schools encounter some youth and families in need of additional intervention and support. And for that reason, it's important to understand how Wisconsin's youth justice system can most appropriately be leveraged to provide support when needed. Over the last semester, our team has learned that having this ordinance in place has had a larger impact on students who would likely never be considered for a citation, something that we were not necessarily expecting. It has been suggested that we are using this as a threat or a scare tactic for a group of students, but I again would like to refer to DPI and challenge this narrative. According to DPI, quote, it is helpful for school staff to keep the purpose of truancy reduction in mind when approaching policy and practice considerations. Wisconsin educators strive for high graduation rates with healthy and well-educated students. Since regularly missing school has a significant impact on students' achievement and positive youth development, truancy laws aim to deter students from skipping school, encourage students to attend, and encourage caregivers to get kids to school. The hope is to ultimately increase graduation rates, improve the workforce, build community, support wellbeing, reduce the risk of negative outcomes, and increase protective factors and positive outcomes, end quote. By upholding the truancy law and having this ordinance in place, we are successfully achieving the exact purpose of these laws are set out to achieve, including deterring students from skipping school, which is very different than threatening students. In conclusion, I think we can all agree with the research that highlights the importance of addressing barriers to attendance and not utilizing putative measures as an initial intervention. This is why we have the approach and the systems in place that we do. I caution using the same research as a reason to not enforce the ordinance when the conclusions of this research are based on practices that do not represent our model of support in AASD.

Thank you, Ms. Nicka. Welcome, name and address for the record, please.

Thank you, my name is Christy DeBoer and I am an administrator in the Appleton Area School District. Good evening, my name is Christy DeBoer and I'm a high school associate principal of student services. Thank you for the opportunity to speak tonight. A large part of my role in the role of student services office is engaging students and families in attendance work. This work includes meeting together to assess student needs and create a plan together to support increasing the students' attendance. While we prioritize building relationships and providing school-based supports as our first line of defense, the reality is that some students require a more significant intervention. Due to the truancy ordinance being in place this school year, we have experienced a large increase of parent engagement. Parents are returning our phone calls, answering our text messages, and engaging in our attendance meetings. These meetings can be at school, over the phone, and sometimes parents invite us to driveways or front porches. When parents are engaged in attendance assessments, we can discuss and address barriers. When parents help us to create plans, we have family buy-in and support to help our students be successful. Doors open and we create lasting partnerships between home and school. Attendance meetings typically begin with a parent or guardian sharing concerns about truancy tickets. I celebrate that they are here now and we can work together to help support their student. We can share ideas, address barriers and create attendance plans together. The reinstatement of the truancy ordinance has been a vital component of our comprehensive attendance strategies this year. This is not due to issuing tickets. It's due to community support, working together with our schools to meet the needs of every child. Thank you for your time. And I appreciate being able to share the benefits of the increased parental engagement due to the community support for the truancy ordinance.

Thank you. Hello.

Hi everyone, Stephanie Marta, high school attendance coordinator and social worker for the school district. Okay, so thank you again for having us tonight. I have a lot of information to go through tonight, so I'll do it as quickly as possible. Bear with me. Alder Crote, I will defer to you about whether or not once we get to the data, if you want me to stop for questions or if you want to hold them till the end.

Let's try to hold them to the end, unless it's something specific to exactly what you're referencing.

Okay, sounds good. So tonight you have an important decision before you regarding the future of the City of Appleton's truancy ordinance. In January 2024, the District Attendance Committee concluded its work and made several recommendations to improve student attendance. The committee's top recommendation was to ask the City of Appleton to reinstate the truancy ordinance. Since that time, we've gathered input from community members, parents, students, and staff. Through extensive collaboration among the Common Council, the Appleton Area School District Board of Education, district staff, the Appleton Police Department, city attorneys, and Outagamie County, a new model was developed that is significantly different from the truancy process that existed prior to 2019. As we've implemented and evaluated this process, we've gained valuable insights into how the ordinance can best support student success. Initially, we believed the ordinance would be most effective for students who had completely disengaged from school and from school personnel. What we have learned, however, is that the earlier intervention may provide even greater opportunities for positive outcomes. Moving forward, we would like to further examine the impact of the ordinance on students who are failing multiple courses, have met the thresholds for both habitual truancy and chronic absenteeism, and have not responded to the extensive school-based interventions already in place. We have also seen evidence that the ordinance serves as a meaningful deterrent for students. During this past school year, 615 students participated in an attendance education lesson across our three high schools. Since participating, 308 of those 615 students, just over 50%, improved their attendance rates over the course of the school year. While there's still work to be done, these results suggest that accountability when paired with meaningful supports and interventions can positively influence student attendance and engagement. Before sharing our data and recommendations, it's important to understand how different today's process is from the truancy system that existed prior to 2019. Under the former truancy court model, an associate principal could refer a student directly to the school resource officer for a citation, and then the student would enter the truancy court process. Today, we have multiple levels of review that occur before a citation can even be considered. The process begins with the Appleton Area School District Board of Education attendance policy, which outlines specific requirements that must be met before a referral may move forward. When a student is struggling with attendance, the case is first reviewed by the school's attendance team and then by the district attendance team. The attendance coordinator, myself, completes a procedural checklist to verify that all required interventions, documentation, and policy requirements have been satisfied. The executive director of student services and attendance coordinators then determine whether the referral should move forward to a school resource officer. If the school resource officer agrees, the referral is sent to the city attorney's office, which independently determines whether the case should proceed to the court commissioner. Obviously, that's significantly different than how it worked when we had truancy court prior to 2019. This process ensures that decisions are not made by a single individual and that multiple levels of review occur before a citation is ever issued. We also want to revisit the system of attendance supports we previously shared through our attendance intervention flowchart, which we have provided you with a copy of this evening. Prior to 2019, attendance supports were limited. Schools did not have dedicated attendance teams, and attendance decisions were often made by a smaller number of staff members. Common interventions included detention, in-school suspension, a civics lesson, and participation in TRAC, which is the Truancy Reduction and Assessment Center through the Boys and Girls Club. When those interventions were unsuccessful, the primary remaining options were suspension or a truancy citation. Today, every school in our district has an established attendance team. At the high school level, these teams meet weekly to review attendance data, monitor student progress and identify individualized supports. Students and families now have access to multiple layers of intervention designed to address attendance concerns early, build engagement and remove barriers before more formal accountability measures are considered. To provide context regarding how many students enter this system of support that you have in front of you, I would like to briefly review data from the first semester of this school year. So during semester one, we had 989 students who met the state definition of habitual truancy. Of those students, 605 never received a five-day habitual truancy letter because attendance concerns were successfully addressed through more informal interventions and conversations with students and families. The remaining 384 students received a five-day habitual truancy letter and were scheduled for a meeting with the family. following those meetings 104 students developed attendance plans and required no additional interventions 185 students received targeted tier 2 supports including attendance plans goal setting incentives home visits mentoring transportation assistance alternative education supports and other individualized interventions 70 students received intensive intensive tier 3 supports including check and connect mentoring school-based mental health referrals alternative programming and county truancy referrals Only 25 students were identified as non-attenders during first semester, meaning that they were not attending school at all, so meetings could not be held with them or their family. This data demonstrates that the overwhelming majority of students receive extensive supports and interventions long before a truancy citation is considered. Our system is designed to identify barriers, engage families, and provide multiple opportunities for success. Accountability measures are considered only after significant efforts have been made to connect students and families with available resources and support. So next, I'd like to walk through our attendance data from the 25-26 school year, which is outlined in the packet we've provided to you this evening. I'll begin with the chronic absenteeism data shown in the first chart. As a reminder, chronic absenteeism is defined as missing 10% or more of the school year for any reason, including both excused and unexcused absences. Over the course of the full school year, that equates to 18 or more missed days. These absences may include medical appointments, chronic medical conditions, vacations, and other excused absences. We recognize that there will always be some students who meet the definition of chronic absenteeism. Our district goal is to reduce chronic absenteeism by 3% annually. While we would ultimately like to return to pre-pandemic numbers or attendance levels, I am pleased to report that during the 25-26 school year, we exceeded our district goal, achieving a 4.6% reduction in chronic absenteeism. Additionally, when compared to the four-year average chronic absenteeism rate of 28.1%, this year's rate is below that average as well, demonstrating continued progress in the right direction. The second chart outlines our historical habitual truancy data. As a reminder, habitual truancy is defined as missing all or part of five or more school days in a semester without an excuse. For example, a student could meet the threshold for habitual truancy by missing five individual class periods over five separate days, while another student might accumulate 20 or more full days of unexcused absences in a semester. The range of attendance concerns represented within this data is significant. Similar to chronic absenteeism, our district goal is to reduce habitual truancy by 3%. During the second semester, we again exceeded that goal, achieving a 3.9% reduction. When compared to the four-year average second semester habitual truancy rate of 35%, the 25-26 second semester rate was 5.9 percentage points lower. The next chart provides additional context regarding the severity of attendance concerns among high school students. The first row reflects the chronic absenteeism data that I just reviewed. The second and third rows show the number and percentage of students who missed 50 or more days of school and 100 or more days of school during each of the past three years. While chronic absenteeism is an important indicator, this data helps us better understand the students experiencing the most significant attendance challenges. The final chart, and what I feel is the most important chart on the first page, shows the number of high school students over the past three school years who met the thresholds for both chronic absenteeism and habitual truancy. These are the students we examine most closely when considering intensive Tier 3 attendance interventions, including the potential use of a truancy citation. Combined with factors such as failing grades, credit deficiency, and whether a student is on track to graduate, these students represent our highest level of concern. Because students are still completing coursework through the end of June through summer school and other alternative options, we do not yet have final academic outcome data available. However, we will be able to provide this information later in the summer for all of you. Please note that there were 223 fewer high school students this school year who met both of those thresholds compared to the previous year. We view that decrease as a significant indicator of progress. Moving to page two, I would like to briefly highlight the demographic information related to chronic absenteeism and habitual truancy. This chart identifies the percentage of each student group represented within our overall district population and then shows the percentage of students within each group who met the thresholds for chronic absenteeism and habitual truancy. The chart is broken down by race, ethnicity, special education status, English language learners, students who are free and reduced meal eligible, McKinney-Vento or homeless and unaccompanied youth, and then grade level and gender. I will not review each individual data point this evening, but I would be happy to answer questions after you've had an opportunity to review the information. Turning to page three, I would like to share the results of a random sample analysis we believe provides additional insight into student attendance outcomes over time. During the 24-25 school year, 866 high school students met the thresholds for both chronic absenteeism and habitual truancy. From that group, a random sample of 265 students was selected and tracked during the 25-26 school year. So of those 265 students, 59 students or 22.3% did not meet either threshold during either semester of the current school year. In additional, 106 students, or 40%, demonstrated some level improvement. So they were still either habitually truant or chronically absent in one or more semesters, but not across the board in both semesters for both thresholds. In other words, so 62.3% of the students in this sample showed improvement in their attendance outcomes. We had 100 students who continued to meet both thresholds during both semesters of 25-26. We will continue to monitor this student group and we'll add academic outcome data once it becomes available later this summer. In March, I shared information, and I'm moving on to the non-attending high school students for 25-26. I shared information regarding the 25 students who had been identified as non-attenders during first semester. This chart shows where these students were at at the conclusion of the school year. So 10 of those students were seniors. Of those 10 seniors, only one graduated through an alternative pathway. Five dropped out after turning age 18. We have three who did not graduate because they were credit deficient. They have since turned 18. They may still choose to use district options this summer to try to recover their credits and earn a diploma. The remaining senior who is on the list unenrolled during second semester to attend a virtual school program. The final section of data outlines our attendance intervention efforts. As I shared earlier, the goal is always to identify barriers, connect students and families with resources and implement supports before attendance concerns become more severe. We are proud of the endless amount of work our attendance teams do each day to support students facing challenges related to school attendance and many students respond positively to those interventions as you can see in the chart. However, we continue to face the challenge of a small group of students who are either not attending school at all or are unwilling to engage in the interventions and supports being offered by the school district and community partners such as track or youth and family services. During the 25-26 school year, only one truancy citation was issued. As I shared previously, the timeline associated with the court process took longer than anticipated. Since that time, we have met with staff from the city attorney's office and have developed a plan to address future truancy cases in a more timely and effective manner. The final item in your packet that I would like to again review with the committee is an overview of the resolution items connected to the truancy ordinance, including the policies, supports, procedures, and data that guide our work, to improve student attendance outcomes across the district. We really just want to make sure that everyone has all the information. We want to make sure there's no question regarding any of the items in this resolution that have not been addressed. So I will go through these briefly point by point. So the first one says develop and enforce a policy of internal supports and tools, which will uniformly be applied to all students with truancy and chronic absenteeism issues. The ASD uses a tiered approach to address attendance concerns at all grade levels. This information was previously shared with both this committee and the full Common Council last year and is reflected in the flowchart that you have. Last fall, our Board of Education attendance policy was revised to clarify the process the district follows when considering a truancy citation. And earlier this month, or sorry, in May, we completed a comprehensive revision of the attendance policy in our district. The next one is ensure said policy will include enforcement of this truancy ordinance to be used as a final measure should other supports be unsuccessful with a student. The Board of Education policy clearly outlines the conditions that must be met before a truancy citation may be considered. These include that the student has met the legal definition of truancy, the student is chronically absent from school, multiple family contacts have been attempted and documented, intervention efforts have not improved attendance, or the student is unwilling to participate in interventions, the student is not on pace to graduate due to absences, and the student is failing one or more courses. In addition, the district has established a procedural checklist that must be completed and submitted to the school resource officer when a truancy citation is being considered. This checklist documents student and family contacts, interventions offered and attempted, academic information and attendance data. It should be noted that the school resource officer makes the final decision on whether or not to issue a citation. These documents were shared with council members by Clerk Molitor at the end of May, so you all should have received those. The next one says provide evidence of the supports that the district has offered to students with attendance issues before any court dispositions for truancy are levied upon a student. These include but are not limited to the number of truancy citations issued in the past semester. We have issued one truancy citation during the 25-26 school year. The number of truancy citations from prior semesters eventually expunged due to student compliance, none. Number of truancy citation convictions from previous semesters, none. Updated absenteeism and truancy rate numbers for the previous semester, so we just shared that. I shared that information and we also provided you with semester one and quarter three data previously. Data should be provided in alignment with DPI reporting. For example, grade level, school, race, ethnicity, gender, disability status, economic status, and EL status. This information was shared back in March and then again today. Due to confidentiality requirements, the demographic data can't be publicly shared if the population size is too small. So some things were removed from our demographic data based on that. Track the counseling supervised work program and community service organizations utilized by students and compile a list of average costs. This is not applicable at this time as no students have been ordered to participate in these services and no related costs have been incurred. Provide evidence of policy and applicable data per the recommendations of the 2018 truancy court report, including but not limited to orientation or guidance for judges involved in truancy matters. This is not applicable at this time because no judges are currently hearing truancy cases. Any student receiving a truancy citation would proceed through the court commissioner process, which we have shared previously. Maintain a community truancy task force, which works collaboratively to meet the interests of the district, the courts, families, and students, and reports to the school board. So an attendance improvement work group is currently being established. A timeline for the start of this work group was not included in the resolution. However, we have the first meeting scheduled for September 30th, and the group will meet seven times throughout the school year. We wanted to ensure broad representation, including school staff, community members, parents, guardians, and students. We also wanted to provide meeting dates well in advance so participants could commit to attending consistently throughout the year. An open invitation to participate was shared with AASD families and the broader community in May, and further communications about opportunities to participate were shared again on social media in June. continue to survey comparable school districts in Wisconsin to improve internal processes and report to the school board. The district contacted comparable school districts and shared findings with the Board of Education and the Common Council last fall. We continue to collaborate with other districts regarding attendance practices. Increasingly, however, other districts are reaching out to learn more about the work AASD is doing related to attendance improvement. Most other surrounding school districts use truancy type citations as their initial intervention. rather than as a last resort. In May, we did a survey of nine Wisconsin districts with similar student populations. Eight districts responded with information on their internal processes, which was shared with our Board of Education in early June. The next one is provide data for any case where the judiciary exceeds suggestions. This is not applicable as there has been no judicial involvement. Create a general contact email for parents or students dealing with attendance issues to seek help. Direct contact information for both district attendance coordinators has been available on the district website since October. A general attendance email account would route directly to those coordinators, which is why the district chose to provide individual email addresses and direct phone extensions. Create student and family survey and vehicle for anonymous feedback that reports to the board. Student survey results were shared with the committee on May 13th. This survey was specific to high school attendance education lessons. A global attendance survey will be administered to all high school students at the beginning of next school year. The Appleton Area School District surveys families each spring. We are happy to administer an attendance-specific survey, provided the committee provides further direction on what information should be included. So we've asked for that, but have not heard anything on what the committee would like to see from that survey. Finally, earlier this month, a feedback form was added to the AASD website, allowing anonymous feedback to be shared directly with both the attendance coordinators and the Board of Education. Since it was added to the district website, we have not received any submissions. Finally, I would like to share a student example this evening that illustrates what I believe success can look like. Stacy Nick and I often work closely together to support families across multiple grade levels. During second semester, an elementary attendance team alerted Stacy to a family situation after a home visit raised concerns about why a student was not attending school. At the same time, a middle school sibling was also not attending school regularly, so Stacy and I followed up by completing a joint home visit, which we do often for students in these situations with truancy and attendance issues. We included an interpreter as the family and students are not English speakers. Through that visit, we learned about a wide range of significant needs the family was facing. Over the following weeks and months, we worked with district staff and community agencies to connect the family with appropriate supports and resources. During this process, we also learned that one of the students had received two citations from the school resource officer related to physical altercations. The mother expressed significant concern about the citations and uncertainty about how to navigate the upcoming court hearing. I reached out to the city attorney's office and ultimately transported the student and mother to the court hearing and supported them through the process. After the hearing, the mother shared that she felt more comfortable and had a much better understanding of the court process in general. I also was able to provide context to the court commissioner for this student regarding the restorative measures that the school had put in place to address the underlying behavioral concerns. As a result, the court commissioner scheduled a follow-up review hearing after the school year ended to determine whether or not there had been additional behavioral concerns or disciplinary incidents. The student was informed that the citations could be dismissed if there were no further concerns. I again transported the mom and the student to the review hearing in June and provided an update from school administration indicating that the student had made significant progress and had no further behavioral or disciplinary incidents. The court commissioner ultimately dismissed the citations. While these citations were not related to truancy, this experience reflects a process very similar to what we would anticipate for truancy citations. More importantly, the outcome reflects what we hope to achieve in every case, accountability paired with support leading to improved outcomes for students. If I'm involved in a truancy citation case, I would attend any related hearings to ensure that students and families are directly supported throughout the process. My role would be to help connect them with resources, explain options, and work collaboratively toward re-engagement in school. Ultimately, the goal is not for a student to pay a fine. The goal is to reconnect students to school, remove barriers where possible, and support them in getting back on a path towards graduation. At the end of the day, I believe we all share the same goal, helping students succeed and ensuring that as many of our young people as possible graduate with a high school diploma and a path toward a successful future. This conversation is not about choosing between support and accountability. Our experience has shown that students are best served when both are available. Over the past several years, the district has built a comprehensive attendance system centered on prevention, intervention, family engagement, and individualized support. The truancy ordinance is one component of that larger framework, providing an additional layer of accountability when other interventions have not been successful. We respectfully ask for the opportunity to continue utilizing both our current attendance support system and the truancy ordinance so that we can further evaluate their long-term impact. The progress we are beginning to see is encouraging, but meaningful change takes time. Allowing this work to continue will provide a more complete picture of what is working, where adjustments need to be made, and how we can best support students moving forward. By continuing this partnership between the school district, the city of Appleton, and our community, we can remain focused on what matters most, helping students attend school, stay engaged, graduate, and build successful futures. Thank you for bearing with me through all of that.

Thank you very much for presenting the new material, but also revisiting the summary of resolution items. Thank you for that. Let's see if there's any questions from committee members on what was presented here tonight. Any questions? No? Okay.

Alder Lambert, go ahead. With regards to year-end academic data, what would be the date you typically would assume that that data would be complete or you would have that information?

So summer school concludes, I believe, right at the end of this month. So we would hope to have it by the end of July, and that would align with, I believe there's an August 5th meeting date. Is that the full city council where we could share that information?

That would probably be right. Yes, August 5th. Okay. Any other questions? Alder Hayden, go ahead. Thank you, Chair.

Just one note. If this does, if we do keep the truancy ordinance on the books, one thing I would like to see is year-over-year data on the demographic data that you have out there. It's just a single data point for this particular year. It would just be great to see it year-over-year so we see how it progresses for different groups.

Okay. Okay. Any other questions on information presented? Any other information from the district tonight? I don't think so. Superintendent Harches, did you want to comment? Okay. All right. Thanks again. Okay, that takes care of the information item. We will go to the related action item on this, on our agenda, which is the resolution that I submitted to review the options for the truancy ordinance. I understand there's probably some members of the public here to speak on this issue. I know you're here for the other issue as well, but we want to give an opportunity for anyone to speak on the truancy since we are on 26-0758 right now. which is resolution 7R26 to review options for truancy ordinance. We have some options tonight. We have some new information presented. We could hold this and take action at a future meeting. We could take action tonight. I will leave it up to the committee to determine which course we go on. I might suggest we hold this at committee to review the new information. There's been some asks tonight for some additional information. There is essentially no rush at this point because what's happening with the current ordinance is in six days it's being repealed because that was part of the original resolution that it would end on June 30th, 2026. So what would have to happen at some point after that would be reintroduction of the language to bring back the ordinance essentially. with a potentially a different end date or no end date. We have options. The attorney's office did present a memo, a detailed memo as to the options for the committee. So at this point, I do want to give members of the public that are here to speak on truancy an opportunity to speak. So if you are interested in saying anything, raise your hand and come up to the podium and name and address for the record. Is there anyone here? Okay, welcome.

Hi, good evening. My name is Carla Hales, 2713 West Darling Street. This is possibly something that's addressed. I don't have the same information that you all have. I just wanted to bring about questioning what the policy and practices related to absenteeism leading to truancy due to fear of immigration enforcement. I'm just concerned about the current administration looking for any excuse to other immigrants and to call them criminal illegal aliens. Though things like truancy aren't necessarily a deportable offense in and of themselves, it certainly will be used against people in deportation proceedings and those trying to obtain legal status and will be a negative factor in looking at a good moral character. Obviously the impact and penalty for an immigrant student who gets that kind of citation is much more severe than a US student who gets a truancy ticket. That was just food for thought.

Thank you. Okay, thank you for your comments. Just to be clear, the information presented tonight and at any previous Safety and Licensing Committee meeting is part of the overall packet. You will see there's two attachments tonight. One is the information that Ms. Marta presented, And the other one is the school district's flow chart of actions that they take to address truancy within the district. So I just want to make sure everyone knows that we basically have all the information that is available either at a previous meeting or part of the packet for this action item. So is there anyone else from the public that would like to speak on truancy? Okay, are there any Alders present that have questions? Alder Hartzheim, District 13.

Yes, thank you, Chair. I think the words community support make this a very important thing that we continue to speak about. So I think that knowing that this is not the end, even though there is a sunset provision on the current ordinance, is important for us to all remember, because that community support is the piece that is joining us all together in this, thank you.

Yep, thank you, appreciate that. Any other comments or questions? Alder Furcus, go ahead. Mine, okay, 14.

All right, thank you, Chair. I just want to urge my colleagues, even though there is no need to rush, as we do have several weeks to work through this and make sure that everyone gets the information they need to make a comfortable decision, but to try and get this done before the next school year. It just, it gets real hard to try and put a plane together when the plane's already taken off, so to speak. So if you are on the fence, if you are trying to figure out where you stand on this, please ask your questions and ask them as soon as possible. Give yourself time to have follow-up questions and just please do the work upfront as quick as possible so that you have time to make a decision and that we as a body can make a decision prior to the school year.

I appreciate those comments and definitely would look forward to getting something taken care of by the school year. I was hoping that we would be able to get something taken care of by the end of the current ordinance period. That's obviously not happening, but we have an opportunity over the next 60 days to take care of that if that's what's desired. So other members of council, Alder Wolf, which microphone?

I would like to thank the school districts for their continued presence here, coming in, answering questions and working with us as a body, being transparent and very willing to listen, learn with us and cooperate in this process.

Yeah, I appreciate those comments as well. eight or nine months now that we've been getting updates and information, and the school district has responded to requests for new information, clarity on things. I'm comfortable with the information that we've gotten so far, but I will bring it to the committee if there's no other comments or questions from Alders present, and we'll get an action on the table, or a motion on the table, if we could. Alder Fenton.

Thank you, Chair. So my concern and the reason I voted against the resolution at the last Safety and Licensing Committee is that we really don't have, and I'm not criticizing it because at the point it was submitted, we still had to review some options. But right now, the resolution in its current form isn't anything that I can take action on. It just says continue to review options. So I will be honest, I appreciate all of the information from the school district, especially, I know administrators don't take the summer off, but I know it's probably not the first thing on the list to keep coming to committee meetings and council meetings through the summer. But I am one of those people who haven't made up my mind how I'd like to go. I would really, for my colleagues who do have a position, I would like to see, if we hold it for the next meeting, somebody submit either an amendment by substitution or an action that we can vote on. Because we can continually hold it, we can continually vote to approve reviewing this, but we're not doing anything. And that's my reservation with what we have before us now.

You are correct. I believe, Attorney Berwin, you can chime in here if you'd like, but I believe we are able to take some action if we would like to, and that would include one option would be substitution as an option to present. Otherwise, I'm open to the motion to hold to, again, further review information and look at options for future meetings. Attorney Berwin, which? District 4. District 4? Go ahead.

So that's correct. The current... Resolution could be amended by substitution that could be taken care of that could be done either today or at a future meeting once there's been time for. Something to be crafted to substitute into the resolution they did provide kind of a template one that is essentially the current ordinance that could be used as a basically. For work shopping purposes but. It could also be held and done a little bit more directly and cleanly by a submission at a later meeting.

Thank you, Attorney Berwin. And that reference document is here if committee members would like a copy of that. Alder Hayden, go ahead.

Thank you, Chair. I think taking into consideration everything Alder Finnan said, taking into consideration the data that the school district is putting together, I would be comfortable making a motion to hold this until the July 8th meeting. And ahead of that, having us get together and doing an amendment by, or not get together, but having someone submit an amendment by substitution so that we have something tangible that everyone knows what is going on at the meeting ahead of time so that the public and committee members can come more prepared for discussion.

Okay, thank you. So we have a motion to hold until our next Safety and Licensing Committee meeting, which would be July 8th. Is there a second? I will second. All right, so we now have on the table a motion to hold this action until then, with some clarity given to what Alder Hayden would like to see brought forward. Are there any other comments or questions on the

Request or the motion to hold older Lambert go ahead So I'm gonna ask the same question of my fellow committee members that I asked last time which is I'm very interested to know what additional information or data would be helpful in Adjusting or changing maybe what your position is at this moment? I to appreciate greatly the additional time and efforts that the district has put in. I wanna thank them for speaking to some of the concerns that were raised and that I addressed in our last meeting as well. And I just worry that what we're doing is continuing to delay with no real change in the way that things are gonna continue to go. So that would be my question for the committee itself.

Thank you. And I think a couple of those have been expressed tonight already. Alder Hayden had one. I believe Alder Fenton had one as well. requests for additional information or clarity. I think we've been really methodical as how we've moved through this process. Yes, it seems like sometimes it's continuing to go, hopefully go forward, and that would be my goal is to continue to move this forward over the next 30 to 60 days. Alder Hayden, go ahead. On the motion to hold, please.

Thank you, Chair. I would also say on the motion to hold, my expectation is that this isn't just a kick the can to kick the can again. My expectation is when we come together on July 8th, that action will be taken at that date and not that we'll have another motion to hold after doing it multiple times already.

Okay. And for that meeting, we'll make sure that all the information is attached to the agenda for everyone to have. One of my goals in this whole process was to make sure that everyone had as much information as they needed to make an informed decision. Whether you're for it or against it, you have all the information you need to make a decision. for your constituency. Okay, any other comments or questions on the motion to hold, which would be resolution 7R26? Not seeing, is there any other members of the public that wanted to speak that didn't speak on truancy? Okay, just want to make sure everyone that came for this item had a chance. Okay, we'll take a vote on the motion to hold until July 8th. All those in favor of holding, signify by saying aye. Aye. All opposed? All right, 4-0. It will be held with action on that agenda. Thank you, district members, for coming and presenting. Okay. That, we'll go back onto our action items here, and I'm a little bit out of order still, but we're gonna go to FLOC and ALPRs, but I'm gonna go to 26-0848, which is the FLOC termination final recommendation, and this is a follow-up to action taken by our mayor, So I will turn it over to Mayor Woodford. There are two attachments. One is a memo from him and one is a memo from the Appleton Police Department. So we'll give Chief Olson an opportunity to speak as well. District 1. Go ahead. Clerk Molitor.

Thank you. The memo from the Appleton Police Department was supposed to be attached to Resolution 9R26. So just for the record. That belongs with 9R26. It was accidentally attached. 9R26.

Okay. Yep. Okay. That's right.

Chief Olson still might want to speak, but that's not supposed to be there.

I'm sure she will. So 26-0848, flock termination, final recommendation is what we're on. And this is the one where there is the mayor's memo, and I'll turn it over to the mayor. Mayor, what microphone do you have? Director 3 should be on.

Thank you, Chair. I submitted a memo to the committee, which you all have before you, and was included in the materials. We've taken action to terminate our use of flock cameras in the city of Appleton. We've provided that notice of termination to Flock Group Incorporated. The termination of the product and platform will be effective June 30th, 2026. In our notice of termination to flock, we requested that the cameras be removed from public right of way as soon as practicable, but not later than 31st of July. In previous conversations with representatives from the company, They indicated that they make best efforts to remove cameras timely when contracts are not renewed or terminated. And so it's our expectation that they will do the same here in Appleton. As a part of that notice of termination and request regarding removal of cameras, we've requested verification that any cameras remaining in the right-of-way until they're removed are inert and not gathering data. If FLOC is unwilling or unable to provide that verification, we'll consider options that we've seen in other communities of physically bagging the equipment if we don't receive that verification or we're not satisfied with the verification that we receive. So that is still possible depending on the timeliness of removal. This action to terminate use is administrative in nature, so it doesn't require council approval for us to stop using the product. However, we're seeking council approval of a recommendation to issue no further payments to Flock Group Incorporated for the now terminated service. This is a fiscal component of the termination and we believe that is the purview of the common council. And so that is the recommendation that's before you now is to make no further payments to Flock.

Okay, all right, I know there's folks here that wanna speak on FLOC. We are on the item that the mayor just outlined. There are other items on our agenda, including two resolutions submitted by Alders in relation to FLOC or ALPR systems. So if you're going to speak on this, please speak when it's appropriate to the item that we're on, okay? All right, committee members, we need a motion to get it on the table.

I would move to approve the recommendation to cease payments to FLOC.

Okay, we have a motion and a second on the table to cease payments to FLOC Group Incorporated, per the Mayor's memo. Comments or questions on that? Alder Hartzheim, go ahead.

Thank you, Chair. I am not opposed to this, but I would like to know if there are termination fees and what impact this has as far as contractually, are we obligated contractually to make any payments? Mayor Woodford?

The city is currently paid in full for the current fiscal year, and In consultation with legal and administrative services, our recommendation is simply to have counsel's approval to issue no further payments. We have notified FLOC of our intention to terminate, and we've received no communication in response to that notice of termination. But our recommendation is to issue no further payments. And essentially, the remainder of the year, we would be paid through the remainder of the year, but would cease use of the product. So no further obligations beyond this action.

Go ahead. Thank you. With that in mind, I would encourage the committee to approve this. Thank you. Okay.

Thank you. Mayor or Attorney's Office, since we are paid through the end of the year, and have a current contract with them. Is there any obligation for us to continue through the end of the year? I know that that's not what you're asking for, but since we've paid and we have a contract, I guess my question is, does the city have exposure here to some sort of suit?

With respect to any litigation, that's not something that we're aware of at this point. So it's hard to answer that question. That's a hypothetical. However, we are paid in full for the current year. And again, based on the recommendation from in consultation with legal and administrative services, this action by council would, as far as we can tell, complete our obligations.

Okay, and for everyone's benefit, how long was the original contract?

The term of our use ran through 2028. Okay. All right.

Other questions or comments? All right. Anyone from the public that wants to speak on this particular item? Okay. Name and address for the record, please. Podium microphone is on.

Yeah, my name is Tanner Mann. I live at 833 West Harris Street. I support this decision. There is one aspect of it, though, that I disagree with. I do not share the mayor's optimism in Flock's timely removal of their hardware from our streets. Our neighbors in Oshkosh have been waiting for two months for Flock to remove these cameras, and they've had them bagged the whole time. The decision to physically cover these cameras and bag them was I think a gesture of goodwill from the city, from the police department, and it restored a sense of safety or peace in the residents of Oshkosh. It helped build back the goodwill that was lost to a large extent when the police department entered into relationship with flock. Um, I think it would be in police departments and the city's best interest to beg these immediately as soon as tomorrow morning. Um, I think waiting for flock to take these down or, um, provide some kind of reassurance that they are inert, would be the wrong decision. That's what I have to say about this, thank you.

Thank you, Tanner. Just for clarity, whatever the committee takes for action here needs to go to the full city council. So your recommendation to bag tomorrow, I would say we wouldn't be able to do anything until the council acted and the mayor's memo actually outlines when that might take place. Go ahead, Mayor.

I would also add, Chair, that the decision to bag would, would be a, an operational matter. And so not, not a, it wouldn't require council action one way or another. So taking into account the, the feedback that was shared again, we'll, we'll await followup from flock. But the reason I called out that possibility is because I frankly anticipate that, that that may be necessary. Okay.

And just for everyone's benefit, the council would normally meet on July 1st. We will not be meeting on July 1st. That meeting has been canceled. Our next council meeting would be on the 15th of July. Okay, anyone else want to speak on the termination of payments to FLOC? Alder Fenton, go ahead.

And may I direct to the mayor or the chief or whoever wants to take this? Am I correct in understanding that Appleton Police Department is no longer using this data regardless of whether the cameras are in operation?

Sharing has been disabled using the platform and use of the product would terminate at the date of termination.

Thank you.

Okay, other questions? Alder Wolf, go ahead. Got it. 12.

Thank you, Chair. I would thank the Mayor's Office for that. Originally, that was a different intention. Was there a specific something that happened with FLOC that made you change course on that? Chair, what is the question? Like originally you said that you would continue to use flock cameras in a limited scope throughout the Fox Valley. And now you are saying that we stopped using flock in that limited scope.

Go ahead. So the decision to pull back sharing almost entirely came at the point of our decision to terminate use. So it had nothing to do with any changes with FLOC in particular. It was a policy decision that we made based on the fact that we were proceeding with termination.

Any follow-up, Alder Wolf? No. Okay.

Other questions? Alder Hayden, go ahead. Thank you, Chair. May I direct a question? Sure, the Mayor. Just seeking some clarification. When you say sharing is disabled, that means we're not sharing with other municipal law enforcement, state law enforcement, or things like that. But is our law, is Apple Police Department still using our flock data?

Apple Police has been using the data, yes.

Thank you.

Okay. Other questions, comments? We have a motion to approve the recommendation, which is to issue no further payments to FLOC. If there are no other comments or questions, we'll take a vote on that. All those in favor of approving, signify by saying aye. Aye. All opposed? All right, 4-0. I didn't hear any nays. So that will go as a recommendation to the full City Council to cease paying FLOC. All right, that will take us to the resolutions, and we'll take them up as they are listed on the agenda, which is 26-0622, resolution 4R26, revocation and cessation of flock camera use, submitted by Alder Wolf. Alder Fenton, I was going to give Alder Wolf the first opportunity to speak, but did you want to?

I was going to make a motion on that, but if you want to give.

Let's give the author of the resolution an opportunity to speak, and then we'll bring it to committee for a motion. All right, 12 should be on there, sir.

Thank you, Chair. First and foremost, after a lengthy period of hearing from citizens and a concern in our community, I wrote this resolution based on a lot of people asking questions for community involvement and cities to do something about it. And seeing other cities take action on Flock led me to write this resolution and bring it forward. I did not expect the mayor's office to, at that same time, And the contract was locked, which, you know, complicated things a bit. And it was definitely an interesting time, to say the least. However, as I said, I would be bringing it forward. I continue to bring it forward. I think that it presents a good conversation to be had, especially with two different types of resolutions to move forward. I think that this creates a very good dialogue for our city council to have. on how we want to address the future of these types of cameras, as this resolution specifically calls for not using this type of camera in the city of Appleton. Though, through further conversations as well, I have somewhat changed my mind on some things. And if, say, the Appleton Police Department were to own the cameras themselves, then I feel like that would be a safer bet at the same time. So I'm definitely open to dialogue regarding these cameras, though still have the preference that we do not immediately jump into another relationship with another vendor that is unvetted and potentially untrustworthy. Thank you.

Okay, thank you. I was going to ask you, because there's an important distinction between a system like FLOC and any ALPR system, which is what the actionable part of your resolution refers to any ALPR provider?

Correct.

OK. All right. Alder Fenton?

I would make a motion to receive and file this resolution. The vast majority of it refers specifically to FLOC, which is moot now, given what our action on our previous item. And I believe that the last, therefore be it resolved, is really not workable given discussions with Appleton Police Department, the city attorney's office, a review of some of the technology we currently use outside the police department. I don't think it's workable. and we have another resolution that addresses pretty thoroughly, if I do say myself, the technology that we're talking about, so I don't believe any action needs to be taken on this particular resolution. Thank you.

Okay, so there was a motion made. Is there a second? The committee has several options with this.

Point of clarification. Sure, go ahead. Can you explain what the motion would effectively do just for my benefit?

Sure, receive and file basically says we received the resolution, we reviewed it, and we're going to take no action on it. It's just going to be received and filed. with the clerk's office. Another action we could take is to hold the item at committee indefinitely or hold it until a certain date. We could defeat or approve the resolution. Those are all options, but the option presented was to receive and file, so we would need a second on that if that's the direction the committee wanted to go. I'll second for discussion. Okay, so we have it on the table now to receive and file. Any other comments or questions on that? Is there anyone from the public that wants to speak on this resolution? Mr. Mann? Okay.

I support this resolution. I understand there's some competing legislative motions, though, which I don't fully understand procedurally. However, I want to follow up on some comments made by Alder Wolf regarding future vendors of this technology. This is a very complicated subject, and it's been made extraordinarily clear that the Appleton Police Department and the City of Appleton really jumped the gun in implementing this tech in our streets. I think it's fair to say that the oversight, technical safeguards, The operational and procedural safeguards for this type of tech are basically non-existent in Appleton, the state, and the country. This is very new technology. On the topic of future ALPR vendors, especially for use with law enforcement, I think we need a very comprehensive framework for how to govern that technology at every level that I mentioned before, technical guardrails, operational guardrails, procedural guardrails. And I know that the next resolution on FLOC touches on a little bit of that. I believe most members of the council received a copy of a citizen drafted ordinance that is very comprehensive in governing the use of this technology. I strongly encourage Appleton City Council to review each point of that. I understand that some points of the citizen-drafted ordinance are not areas that Appleton may have legislated in in the past, maybe have deferred that to departmental policy. But I think this type of AI-assisted surveillance technology really just getting started. And Appleton Police Department will be approached by many more of these surveillance vendors that will be equally if not more clever in overcoming objections and overcoming whatever review period that the next ordinance tries to institute. So I just wanna also, I have to mention, We saw in Grand Chute, our neighbors, they ditched Flock and switched to Axon right away. For lack of better words, that was a wild decision to make. Axon carries the exact same privacy and security model that Flock does, and it's unacceptable for this area. So I don't want Appleton to do the same. It doesn't sound like we're going to do the same, but we need... a very comprehensive framework of maybe it's one ordinance, maybe it's a series of ordinances, but I urge this body to consider that. Thank you.

Thank you. All right, and thank you for referencing the next resolution, because I think that resolution gets to a lot of what you commented on. So on the resolution to receive, or the motion to receive and file for R26, any other comments or questions? Alder Hartzheim, go ahead. 13 should be on.

Thank you, Chair. I would suggest that the committee, rather than receive and file, actually defeat this resolution simply because of what was just spoken by this speaker about how this is new and we need more information in this regard. I think the therefore be it resolved paragraph makes it very clear that it's basically throwing the baby out with the bathwater. And I don't think that that's where we as a city should go at this point. And I'm afraid that if the receiving file occurs, this resolution still sort of sits out there. And I don't think anything will be done with it. I just don't think it's a strong enough message to say that we're not finished trying to determine what the best way forward is for ALPR technology and AI-assisted technology, et cetera. So I would recommend, again, rather than a receiving file, an actual defeat of the resolution. Thank you.

OK, thank you. Attorney Berwyn, the comment about it sitting out there, was my summary of receiving file accurate? And do you want to comment on what that actually means from a legal perspective or a Roberts perspective?

District 4. As I understand it, it simply becomes part of the record. It's not something that's actionable at this point. If that were to happen, it's part of the record and not further actionable unless some action was taken to revive it somehow or it was reintroduced in some way, shape, or form.

Okay. All right. Thank you. All right. Other comments and questions? I saw a member or two of the public. Yep. Come on up. Name and address for the record, please.

Cal Straub, 1208 North of 93rd Street. Thank you.

Welcome.

Thanks for your time here. I just wanted to speak about the further adoption of ALPR technology. This room is full of public servants, myself included. We all know that we are called as public servants to increase the health, well-being, and safety of our community. ALPRs are objectively an invasive technology, and my question to you is that Throughout the course of your life, as you've seen invasive technology become more and more pervasive, has it made you feel safer?

Could you address the committee, please?

Has it made you feel happier? Has it increased your sense of well-being? Personally, this has increased mine. And I think our societal trend towards further and further invasive technology, while it can be portrayed as a tool to increase the safety, health, or well-being of our society has, in fact, been detrimental to it. I hope that we don't endorse or adopt any further ALPRs or similar technology. Thank you for your time.

Thank you for your comments. Is there someone else in the back? All right, come on up. Welcome. Name and address for the record, please.

Hello, my name is Teodoro. That's what name I go by. My legal name is Warren Johnson. I live at 531 and a half North Appleton Street. Yeah, there's a lot I can say about flood cameras. The biggest thing I can say is that even if you believe that they're here to, like, curtail crime or help, and if you're going to keep sharing your information data and assisting them, just look at how incompetent this AI system has been in other areas, other municipalities, other states, and other such systems like that. Like, as you know, it's mentioned in Grandview, right? And a lot of departments, they will, and this is not just departments, it's people in general, but especially when it's organizations like departments, they will not decide that, hey, maybe this AI is wrong. We see this with a very famous case in Reno and Vegas with casinos and kicking people out and the AI flagging the wrong people. In fact, we also see in Iowa, for example, where the plot camera specifically will flag the wrong car, and that will be a whole issue on giving speeding tickets. And this is not going to be addressed in like, you know, with eggs being put over them or anything like that till July, what, 15th, you said?

No set date on that. The mayor commented on the city's operational position on that, but the soonest it would get to the city council would be the 15th.

Right, so that's at least a week where these cameras can still plague people incorrectly, detrimentally, ruin the lives of people, and their security is not that well. It's kind of garbage, and let's say the Applin PD, they don't want to share that information that they have with other municipalities or whatever, right? Well, that's fine. Flock will just probably say, whatever, we're going to do what we want. And that's out of their bag. And they're still going to be held responsible for the actions of others off of that. And especially considering they have things like 287 agreement with Department of Homeland Security or ICE, where if they hold somebody for ICE, ICE will come and pick them up. There's so many concerns with this, with Flock cameras and just These systems are going to be watching 24-7. And with that, can we even trust the APD in any of this? So that's kind of all I have to say is I don't trust a lot of what was brought up on solutions on, hey, we're kind of, tackling this, but we're still leaving them up for at least a week plus. We're still sharing information with FLOC. We're still going to be in an environment where we don't trust what's happening. And that's really dangerous and is intimidating and scary. So, I got a little safe with that, but. Okay.

Thanks for your comments. Thanks for coming. Anyone else in the audience want to speak? No? Okay.

Alder Smith, 14. Yep. Go ahead. Thank you, Chair. I just wanted to say that I would be in favor of the, what did you call it, the review? Receive and file.

Receive and file. Which is what's on the table right now.

Yes. For the sake that I'm uncomfortable with the just kind of blanket denial at this point, and I'm more interested in a process for moving forward and when things and new technologies come forward that we can talk about it and work it through. I think this is the right decision with Flock, as we've learned more about the company itself. But I think that if something like this were passed, we wouldn't have any ability and we would have to go around some kind of whole new process or resolution just to be able to talk about and start up with some other service of whatever it is in the next while. And so I find myself interested in moving towards process and not towards simply banning anything that is a camera that can be used in this way or a service. Okay. Thank you.

Other comments, questions? Alder Hayden. Thank you, Chair. When I look at this, I think it goes a little bit too far, like Alder Smith was mentioning. I look out throughout the state, and I see the use of ALPR technology in places like Milwaukee to do parking enforcement for people visiting the zoo. Very simple tools that I think could benefit the city today and down the road. Looking internationally, You look at areas like Norway and Sweden where they're using ALPR technology to curtail speeding. Granted, it's a completely non-punitive system like we have here today. So there's a lot of good actors out there and some of the stuff they're doing is if you're speeding, you pay a fine and it goes into a lottery. And everyone that isn't speeding is up for, can actually win a lottery just for following the law. So I don't share the pessimism that I'm kind of hearing across the board here. I think that the tool can be used for good and that there's good actors out there and good vendors out there. And I would say I'm in no hurry to jump back into using this technology anytime soon, but I don't want to go to this extreme either. Okay, thank you.

Other comments, questions? Alder, Stenzel, Martin. Levin? Yeah, go ahead.

May I direct a question to Chief Olson? Sure. Just to kind of get some knowledge of APD's experience with ALPR cameras, are there any specific instances of any benefits or drawbacks, any cases that you could point to on the city's use with ALPR cameras.

Chief Olson, which microphone do you have? Director Tu, go ahead.

I'm just going to ask the chair if we want to hold off on that until the next resolution, perhaps, because I will address... Yeah, if it's okay with you, Alder Stanzel-Martin, we will address that when we get to the next resolution.

The next resolution is different in scope. than the one that we have before us, if that's okay?

Sure.

We'll definitely make sure we get it addressed. Correct, Chief? That's correct. Okay. Alder Wolf? 12, sorry.

Thank you, Chair. Can I also address a question to Chief Olson? So have any officers at any given point used the APLR system off the clock?

Is it similar to the last question you want to address? Wait until the next one? I can answer that.

Thank you, Chair. And the answer is no. We have not conducted any internal investigations. We haven't uncovered any misuse through our auditing process.

May I do a follow-up? Go ahead. What if I told you that me and a colleague had someone tell us that they occasionally did?

I'm not sure how to answer that question at this point because those concerns have never been brought to my attention. And if you have that information, then I guess I'm very disappointed that you would use a council meeting to bring that to my attention.

So what my, my main question is, is like, what if this comes up, what would you do in that instance? Not like, is this more of a hypothetical?

Is this a hypothetical or are you, are you making some factual statement about something that happened?

It's a hypothetical. Apologies that it came out so...

Okay, yeah, that's a big deal, I think, to be extremely clear on something like that. Chief, you don't have to answer if you don't want to. Do you have an actual question other than a hypothetical scenario?

So my main goal is to see if the Appleton Police Department would actually be transparent regarding... and how serious they would take any given complaint towards law cameras.

Chair. Mayor, go ahead.

Just on behalf of the administration, I would just remind the committee that what's before you is a motion to receive and file.

Right. The motion on the resolution drafted by Alderwolf is on the table as receive and file. So let's keep the discussion on that. Did you have your hand up, Alder Fenton?

I did not. I just was a point of order. I think that this discussion had disintegrated. Thank you.

Okay, thank you. Sorry, we'll get back on track here. Any other comments or questions on receiving and filing? I'm gonna make a comment here. I tend to agree with Alder Hartzheim. I think the appropriate action here is to defeat the resolution. If we receive and file and that passes, I'm fine with it, but I'm gonna vote against receiving and filing because I'd rather defeat the resolution. Alder Meltzer, did you have your hand up? Which one do you have? Two? Okay, go ahead.

Thank you. I feel that the introduction of this resolution and the way that it is worded is very appropriate and useful for the conversation that we're trying to have as a community as far as where we're going in the future with ALPR technology in general. sort of to echo some of the comments from the public about supporting this resolution, I would not want to see it received and filed necessarily. I also would encourage people not to just vote it down. I think that this is something that certainly we could have a much more robust discussion about this in front of ALL 15 COUNCIL MEMBERS IF THIS DOES GO TO COUNCIL WITH A RECOMMENDATION FROM THE COMMITTEE, REGARDLESS OF WHAT THAT RECOMMENDATION IS, I THINK THAT WOULD FURTHER THE DIALOGUE BETTER THAN RECEIVING AND FILING. THANK YOU.

NEW SPEAKER OKAY. ANYONE ELSE ON RECEIVING AND FILING THE RESOLUTION? YOU HAD YOUR HAND UP KIND OF IN THE BACK THERE. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. ARE WE READY FOR A VOTE ON RECEIVING AND FILING THE RESOLUTION?

I'm not seeing any... Can I get a clarification? Sure, go ahead. If this is received and filed, that means it would not go to the council as a whole for a further conversation piece.

Correct, that would be essentially final action at the committee level. And the mayor and the attorney are shaking their head yes. So, okay. Any other comments or questions, clarifications? Alder Fenton, go ahead.

Thank you, Chair. I think we've got an example of why receive and file is the best action because... I don't think this resolution is workable, and I don't think that we need to spend any more time in front of the full council with it. However, of course, I will abide by the actions of this committee.

Okay. Last comments or questions. Alder Stancil-Martin.

Which one, 11? Thank you. I would just agree with Alder Meltzer that I believe this is a conversation that merits the full body during the council session. So I would urge the committee to either vote to deny or approve this resolution. Okay, thank you.

Alder Lemberg, did you have your hand up?

I want to thank Alder Wolf for bringing forward the resolution. I think he's very connected to the voice of the people and what it is that's happening out there. And he followed through on what he was saying he would do with this resolution. I think through this conversation, I'm not ready to necessarily close the door on ALPR technology. in the big picture, and given that there is some additional related opportunity for us as a council and a committee to take up this issue with some oversight and other aspects, I will likely be supporting the receiving file.

Okay, thank you. Other last comments, questions on receiving and filing? I see two hands up in the audience. If it's on this specific item in action, please come up to the microphone and give your name and address.

My name is Taylor Delaro 531 North and half Appleton Street. And this is more of a comment on kind of like, what you and but it's going back and forth on the resolution, then what to do with the resolution. Would that be still okay for me to say?

Go ahead and we'll let you know if it wanders too far. But essentially what we're talking about is options for process here. So one process receives and files it, doesn't go to council. If we don't go that route, an action to defeat or approve the resolution would go to council for the 15-member body to discuss and vote.

Go ahead. Okay, so you mentioned earlier, you on the right in the green shirt, sorry, I don't know your name. Alder Hayden. Alder Hayden, sorry. That it was like pessimism as you just distrust in the system. It's not pessimism, it's reality. It's a harsher reality that you don't want to live with, but people like me and other demographics have to live with. Why? Because these people, right?

And this is a whole- Please direct the committee and don't point. Sorry.

This is a reality we have to live with. The people on my right that invest and have weapons, they have the power to terminate my life at any time, and they have de facto legality in doing so, and the APR technology is not something that helps that in any way in curtailing that at all. That's not pessimism. That's a harsh reality. And with the politics and situation today, with the amount of corruption we got between whatever parties you like or dislike, this is something that we have to tackle before we even consider implementing APR technology. That's all I'd really say about that. Thank you. One other person?

All right. Thank you. Welcome. Name and address.

Jane Doran, 342 West Commercial Street. Thanks, go ahead. I want to voice my agreement with the Alders that want to vote either to defeat or accept this resolution rather than accept and file. I'd also like to voice my full-throated agreement and support for what my fellow residents have said thus far and reiterate the comment that more immediate executive action on dealing with obscuring the block cameras could go a long way to restoring public trust and goodwill. Thank you.

Okay, thank you. Okay, are we ready for a vote on the motion on the table, which is receive and file? I think so. All right, we'll take a vote. All those in favor of receiving and filing Resolution 4R26 signify by saying aye. Aye. All opposed? Nay. Okay. 3-1, that is received and filed, correct, Attorney Berwin? Correct. All right. Okay, moving on to the next resolution, which is on ALPRs, 26-0825, Resolution 9R26, Establishing Public Oversight and Accountability Standards for Automatic License Plate Readers, ALPRs, and Mass Surveillance Technologies. This resolution was submitted by Alders Fenton and Van Zeelen. Alder Van Zeelen is not here tonight, either remotely or in person, but I will turn it over to Alder Fenton for opening comments.

Thank you, Chair. This resolution is the result of months of work, collaboration with Chief Olson and members of the police department, with the city attorney's office, with our counterparts in other cities, and with members of the public. And I would specifically like to thank Mr. Mann, who is here tonight. He contributed valuable questions and information during our process of drafting this. What we have understood during the drafting of this resolution, we also looked at many, many, many other municipalities' ordinances. Chair, could you ask the members of the public not to comment during our discussion? Yes, please.

If we could just remain quiet while someone else is speaking, that would be appreciated. Thank you.

Thank you, Chair. So we reviewed many other jurisdictions' ordinances. Like I said, multiple meetings. We met with the police department multiple times. We had a demonstration of the audit process that they use, demonstration of how the search works. And from the very moment that we heard about the misuse of this technology in our neighboring communities, I reached out to Chief Olson, who at the very next meeting Safety and Licensing Committee meeting gave us updates on what Appleton Police Department's policy is on automatic license plate reader technology. However, as we went through this, we continued to have concerns because of information that we got that led us to believe that Appleton, like many other communities, was misled about how the technology worked, the safeguards behind the information collected by that technology. And that led the city to the administrative action that they had taken. However, we recognize, along with law enforcement, that this kind of technology can be useful. And the chief, I'm sure, will speak to the memo citing specific instances about this technology being extremely useful in solving violent crime, property crime, But we also agreed that it is really important to safeguard the privacy of our citizens and that we have a right to be secure in our person, in our car. So we decided, agreed, again, in consultation with the police department, the city attorney's office, the mayor, that what we wanted to lay out was a very strong framework that would allow the council to have oversight over any future use of this technology. So just on the first, therefore be it resolved, it says that prior to the council approving a grant, trial, testing period, contract, or the like for APD's acquisition or use of an ALPR system, The council shall be provided with a thorough report describing the technology, purpose, cost, types of data collected, data handling practices, and safeguards related to the system's use and protection of individual civil rights. I'm not going to read the entire resolution. My colleagues have read it. But the resolution also calls for annual review reports to the council by the police department. And we've also stipulated that the council's duty is legislative. It is not the job of the common council to define law enforcement practices. But I will also say that the police department has been incredibly responsive to our concerns. Even from the first, they modified the policies and procedures to put more control on this from the very first instance of our having concern. So I would strongly urge my colleagues on the committee to recommend this resolution for approval to allow it to go to the full council. With respect to some of the technology issues that have been brought forth to us, we understand that we cannot make something airtight. Technology is constantly moving, and our hope was that we made this broad enough that as technology expands, that would be part of a review of acquisition of new technology. So again, I would urge my colleagues to recommend this for approval so that the full council could approve it.

Thank you, Alder Fenton. And I just want to say a few things. This is a resolution that I can get behind. It's well researched, well vetted. It has involved the correct stakeholders. And I think this is something that we should move forward with. So with that, I'm going to get it on the table as a motion to approve. If I could get a second, we can have that on the table. And then we'll take all the comment that we need on it.

Second.

Okay, we have a motion and a second to approve the resolution. Who wants to go first? Chief Olson, do you want to go first? Okay. I have a director too. It's on.

So thank you for allowing me the opportunity to talk about why we believe having access to ALPR cameras is a critical tool for public safety. The mission of the Oakland Police Department is to protect life, preserve public safety, reduce crime, and build lasting partnerships with the community. Achieving that mission requires law enforcement to continually evaluate proven tools and technologies that improve effectiveness while respecting individual rights and maintaining public trust. Automated license plate reader technology represents an important advancement in modern policing. ALPR systems provide law enforcement with a focused investigative tool that helps identify vehicles connected to criminal activity, locate missing persons, recover stolen vehicles, and enhance the ability of officers to respond quickly to threats within the community. ALPR technology is a victim-centered public safety tool with clear safeguards, transparency, and accountability. For Appleton, a growing diverse community with busy transportation corridors, regional connections, and evolving public safety challenges, ALPR technology has proven its ability to strengthen the police department's capacity to prevent and solve crime while allowing officers to work more efficiently. Every day, police officers respond to crimes or other incidences where a vehicle is involved. A suspect may flee in a vehicle, a stolen vehicle may be used to commit additional crimes, or a dangerous offender may travel through multiple communities before being located. Traditional investigative methods often depend on eyewitness recollection, delayed reporting, or limited information. Additionally, one of the most frequent calls for service we handle involves checking on the welfare of individuals who are in crisis or who may have other conditions contributing to their need for assistance. Often, these individuals are in or operating a vehicle. ALPR technology provides a timely investigative advantage by automatically capturing license plate information from vehicles traveling through designated locations. When a plate matches a law enforcement alert, such as a stolen vehicle, a wanted person, Amber Alert, or a vehicle associated with a criminal investigation, the system can notify officers so they can take appropriate action. ALPR technology does not replace police officers, interviews, investigations, or community partnerships. Instead, it provides officers with another piece of information that can help them make better decisions and respond more effectively and efficiently. The most important measure of any policing tool is whether it helps protect victims and improve public safety. ALPR systems have proven valuable in investigations involving a number of things to include stolen vehicles, missing and endangered people, fleeing suspects, organized criminal activity, serious violent crime, drug trafficking investigations.

Chief, didn't mean to cut you off. Can you just pull the microphone a little closer? Someone says they can't hear you.

Thank you.

Sorry to interrupt you.

Repeat offenders, traffic incidences, and property crimes. Again, just to name a few.

That's better.

I'm a little bit short. In many cases, the difference between solving a crime and leaving a victim without answers is the availability of timely information. ALPR technology can provide investigators with leads that otherwise may not exist. For victims of crime, knowing that law enforcement has every reasonable tool available provides reassurance that their case is receiving the attention and resources that it deserves. In this memo, which is attached to this agenda, I've included a small sample of examples where ALPR technology contributed to successful resolution of a case. And to address the question that was proposed by Alder Stancil-Martin, I'll run those down actually at the end here. A synopsis though of 2025, when we just took a look at our overall data and the usage of this tool, we investigated or we were dispatched to just over 35,000 calls for service that required a police response. ALPR technology was utilized in under 2% of these investigations, which were crimes. These 703 investigations resulted in potential criminal charges or were related to criminal offenses or ordinance violations. We were able to make an arrest in 49.6% of these cases with leads generated from the ELPR technology. So even though it's a tool that I think sometimes people think is wildly used, it's appropriately used in a narrow set of circumstances, but with great effectiveness. Police departments nationwide face increasing demands and limited resources. Officers must prioritize calls for service, investigate crimes, engage with residents, and respond to emergencies. Removal of this tool would undoubtedly increase the amount of time needed on these investigations. The staffing study conducted on behalf of Matrix Consulting last year identified a need to increase investigative related positions in the table of organization. Having access to an ALPR tool adds tenfold value when compared to the cost of additional officers. ALPR technology allows officers to spend less time searching manually for information and more time on proactive policing and community engagement. Rather than relying solely on officers noticing suspicious vehicles or manually reviewing large amounts of information, ALPR systems can quickly identify relevant investigative leads. This improves efficiency without reducing the importance of human judgment. This technology identifies possible connections. Trained officers evaluate this information, conduct investigations, and make enforcement decisions. ALPR technology can strengthen cooperation among neighboring law enforcement agencies by providing timely information when authorized and appropriate. Regional collaboration improves the ability of agencies to locate stolen property, identify dangerous offenders, and protect communities throughout the region. Appleton is part of a larger public safety network. A coordinated approach helps ensure criminals cannot easily avoid detection simply by crossing jurisdictional lines, leading to increased accountability for criminal activity and improving the ability of law enforcement agencies to apprehend offenders. It is imperative for the police department to have stringent guidelines while considering data sharing agreements with other police agencies. Regional agreements are preferred over statewide and national sharing. The Appleton Police Department has updated policy language to consider data sharing on a case-by-case basis with other law enforcement agencies. The implementation of ALPR technology must be guided by transparency, accountability, and clear safeguards. The use of ALPR systems should include strong policies governing authorized users, approved law enforcement purposes, data retention periods, access controls, audit trails, oversight and review, and prohibited uses. All of the above points have been addressed in current policy. Police department leaders agree that this tool requires close monitoring and a robust audit trail to ensure compliance and deter misuse. ALPR systems are not designed to track law-abiding residents' daily movements or create a record of innocent activity. They are investigative tools that should be used under clearly defined rules focused on legitimate public safety purposes. The Appleton Police Department is eager to adopt ALPR technology with a comprehensive policy framework that balances effective policing with constitutional protections and community expectations. Some concerns about ALPR technology focus on privacy and government surveillance. Those concerns deserve thoughtful consideration. Public trust is essential and technology must always be implemented responsibly. However, rejecting a valuable public safety tool solely because it can be misused ignores the safeguards available and the benefits it provides. The solution is not to eliminate technology. It is to establish appropriate rules, oversight, and accountability. The same principle applies to many tools already used by law enforcement. Our radios, our computers, forensic databases, body-worn cameras, and emergency communication systems all require policies and training. ALPR technology should be treated the same way, as a tool that must be managed responsibly. Members of this department have proven they will take swift action rooted in transparency and integrity when handling cases involving the misuse of this technology. They did not hesitate when difficult ethical decisions were required, ultimately resulting in criminal charges against a former Menasha officer. Appleton Police Department leaders were quick to inform the public and are committed to ensure transparency around this and all other law enforcement technologies. The Appleton Police Department has a responsibility to provide effective professional and accountable public safety services. ALPR technology supports that responsibility by providing officers with a tool that provides timely information that can help prevent crime, locate offenders, recover stolen property, and protect victims. When combined with strong policies, transparency, and responsible oversight, ALPR cameras represent a modern policing tool that enhances, not replaces, the relationship between law enforcement and the community. The question is not whether technology should be a part of public safety. The question is whether we will use this proven technology thoughtfully and responsibly to better protect the people that we serve. by implementing clear policies and accountability measures from the outset the appleton police department can set and has set a responsible framework for the use of emerging public safety technologies demonstrating how innovation transparency and community trust can work together in serving as a model for other communities considering these similar tools Now, to address the question that was asked earlier about cases, I actually have a couple additional presenters that will talk a little bit about some cases from Appleton, and then I'm happy to fill in any gaps after they have a chance to talk.

Okay. Thank you. All right. Who's going to go next?

Okay.

Which microphone do you have, Mindy? Is it on?

I believe it is.

It is on. Okay, welcome and thank you for coming.

Thank you. I want to thank you for letting me talk to you a little bit about this technology. And I wanted...

For everyone's benefit, could you just identify yourself?

I certainly will.

Thank you.

I want to share a little bit of information about you because my name's Mindy Templis. I'm the district attorney for Outagamie County. I'm also a resident of the city of Appleton. And I think there's a lot of information that I can share that illustrates a number of different things about the importance of this technology, how it's used in court, how it's received by jurors, and how important it is in the criminal justice system to ensure that when we prosecute somebody that we have all the evidence available to make sure that we are prosecuting the right person and to ensure that we are doing everything we can to ensure the integrity of an investigation and the prosecution. So I think the information that I have will just kind of outline some of the examples that I have used this in trials in Outagamie County for prosecutions that the Appleton Police Department did. But first of all, I think the first very important thing to say, and I think all of you will understand or recognize the importance of this is working with all the investor all the agencies in outagamie county all the law enforcement agencies and doing a lot of work that i do statewide i have truly had the pleasure of working with the city of Appleton and the Appleton Police Department. They are known to be an extremely progressive, thoughtful agency. They are ones that have really led a lot of really innovative, amazing work through things like the behavioral health officer position that the city council supported, and that is a key component key tool and person at the police department that really helps us do incredible work, but really on the cutting edge. And what I also have found, I've been a prosecutor for over 23 years in Outagamie County. I have been the DA since 2017. Time and time again, my experience shows and illustrates the integrity of the Appleton Police Department. When there have been issues over the course of the years, Appleton has always responded appropriately. They have responded swiftly. They have done their due diligence and they have done what they have needed. And I think that that's really important to recognize. because we are talking about an agency, in my experience, that I would identify as a high-level professional police agency with significant integrity, and not just the policies and the practices, but the people who are employed there. And they also provide a lot of leadership. And because they are one of the largest law enforcement agencies in our jurisdiction, have a lot of extremely significant cases. So I want to talk about over the last 23 years as a prosecutor, the tools that we have both from an investigative side of things as well as prosecution have dramatically changed. And so technology has really impacted our ability to solve crime. And I think that that's really important to recognize and can be illustrated in some ways by a prosecution I just did a couple years ago. I had the honor of prosecuting a 1988 homicide and sexual assault of Betty Rolfe that happened just off of Spencer Street. That case went unsolved for over 30 years. The family of Betty every day for decades had a look in this community and wonder if the person at the grocery store was the person who sexually assaulted and killed their mom, was the person that was a neighbor, was that person a suspect of someone or had done something to her. Countless people over all of those years, they had a question and wonder and not seek justice. Those types of cases weave into the fabric of our community when we have unsolved cases like that. And Appleton does have unsolved cases. And that creates a significant impact for all of us in the community, for all the people that remember those victims and their families, and try to seek justice for them. When I look back at that prosecution, what's interesting is that The person that committed the offense in this particular situation was somebody who had very minimal ties to the city of Appleton or to Outingamee County. What solved it was technological advancements used with genetic genealogy, which was really impressive and amazing to watch. If that incident though happened today, I believe that that case would have been solved much quicker. appleton is no different they have an unsolved case that they're still working on many different types of cases and if we would have traffic cameras and license plate readers that we have now i believe those cases would likely have already been solved because of what i see happen today So why do I say that? The crimes that are being solved now and the cases that our office are prosecuting are creating a safer city and a safer Fox Valley. Our citizens want to live in a safe community. They want to come down to downtown Appleton and to enjoy all it has to offer. Recently, I prosecuted an attempted homicide for a shooting in downtown Appleton, where a man was shot after a physical fight broke out. There were people everywhere. The shooting happened, chaos ensued, people were literally running for their lives, afraid that their safety was in danger. We can all agree that that behavior is absolutely not what we want people to think of when they think of downtown Appleton or the city of Appleton. The Appleton Police Department responded in force, and unfortunately, there was not a lot of cooperation. However, security cameras, traffic cameras, and license plate readers helped us identify potential people of interest. What's also important to recognize is it helped us identify people who were not of interest. Through the investigation, we learned that the shooter had been in multiple cars that did not belong to him and ultimately belonged to other people. Because of license plate readers, we were able to identify the vehicle in Oshkosh a short time later. If we don't work collaboratively in this world we live in, we will lose significant information. By having the license plate reader that Oshkosh had and identifying this vehicle that had left downtown Appleton after the shooting, it led us to the identity of individuals who then led us to the identity of the shooter and ultimately an arrest outside of Outagamie County. This also allows investigators to have information to use to confront defendants and witnesses when interviewing them when not told the truth and a myriad of lies that they have to sift through in order to search for the truth. In this case, the defendant had over 33 criminal convictions, more than he was years old. The access to traffic cameras and license plate readers gave the Appleton Police Department investigations a tool, a tool to help them find the shooter outside Outagamie County. It did not identify him with the license plate reader. It didn't solve the case on its own. It was not an invasion of anyone's privacy. There were no legal issues with it whatsoever. It was a tool. and it led to justice for the victim who was shot and for his family. In 2018, it was a warm summer Sunday in August, the corner of Memorial and Prospect. A lot of people were driving around because it was the middle of the Sunday afternoon and people weren't working, people were out enjoying the summer Sunday. What they didn't know is that there was a defendant from Milwaukee who was in the city of Appleton in a rival gang with a motorcycle gang. Those two groups had issues with each other and he was sent up here to address the issue. The shooting that he was involved in took place that Sunday afternoon on the corner of Memorial and Prospect. He shot in his car after he pulled up to this truck multiple times. There were people all around. There were vehicles full of citizens. And he shot multiple times and he took off. The victim who was shot at was a rival gang member and not cooperative. That shooter could have hit anyone. as you can imagine even though he was not cooperative the residents that were in that area those citizens immediately called 9-1-1 they immediately demanded as they should a police presence we used early versions of these tools to help identify individuals involved and solve the crime many of whom were not from this area the defendant was prosecuted and he was sent to jail or sent to prison. On jail calls, he talked about how in Milwaukee, this wouldn't have been prosecuted because nobody was actually hit. But he made the mistake of engaging in a shooting in Appleton where that behavior is never acceptable. Law enforcement officers and the investigators spent hours and hours putting this case together. It was absolutely fantastic, but it took a lot of work and it took a lot of tools. The Yealore homicide off of Newberry Street in 2023. The shooting happened in the middle of a neighborhood, leaving all of the residents there completely traumatized and fearful for their safety when that homicide occurred in the middle of their street. It was a drug-related shooting that involved, again, someone not from our area. A traffic camera at the corner by Menards and College Avenue helped us identify the vehicle And we were able to use Flock to connect it to multiple witnesses and a defendant up in Green Bay. The defendant that we prosecuted wasn't driving his car. He didn't solve it. The Flock camera did not solve the case on its own, but it was a tool for us to find the vehicle and to find him. We were able to identify the defendant, locate a significant amount of evidence because of the flock system, identify additional witnesses and solve the case that resulted in the conviction and justice for the victim's family for the individual who was killed. What's interesting is this defendant had absconded from probation, had a warrant out for his arrest from probation. He had charges pending in Brown County, and he had warrants out for his arrest in Brown County. He was then involved in a homicide in the city of Appleton, and then in Manitowoc, where he was ultimately located, he was involved in a traffic crash that severely injured an elderly woman, resulting in critical injuries that sent her to freighter for months. Ultimately, after he was located, he was brought back to the city of Appleton, and he was prosecuted in Outagamie County, and he is in prison. The Eric Rogers homicide on Summer Street in 2022. Again, the middle of a neighborhood just off of Richmond Street. A man was shot and killed in a house there. Traffic cameras and flocked help us identify the route of travel of the defendant. He stole somebody else's car, again, that did not belong to him. And we were able to identify that vehicle and we ended up locating it in Green Bay on flock. It is another example why law enforcement agencies have to be able to quickly and effectively communicate with each other outside of jurisdictional lines. It led to significant evidence that we found in the vehicle, as well as countless other witnesses and evidence that led to an arrest and successful prosecution, including DNA evidence. That individual also had a significant criminal history. In 2024, off of Ballard Road, we had another homicide. We used surveillance video and traffic camera and flock to identify the vehicle that the defendant was traveling. That defendant headed Samantha Krebs to Grand Chute, where she then hid for multiple days. What was interesting is on those cameras, we noticed stickers because there didn't happen to be a license plate on that particular vehicle, but there were stickers that were on the back of the vehicle window. What was interesting is when we found that vehicle days later, those stickers had been removed. After impressive and extremely diligent investigation by the investigators watching hours and hours and hours of multiple cameras at an apartment complex, they were able to observe a co-defendant taking off the stickers from the vehicle to make it unable to be identified. But because we had the flock photo, we could help connect that to convince the jury that it was an intentional homicide versus the defense, which was that it was the defendant, or I'm sorry, that the victim had stabbed himself. It was extremely difficult or it is extremely difficult as you can imagine to be a juror. Maybe some of you have been called to jury duty and have had to listen to evidence for days or weeks and had to make a decision on the guilt or not guilty verdict of a defendant. That is a huge weight. It is even a bigger weight when that weight is a homicide case or a shooting where you have those families who are missing loved ones. And when you have jurors, when we talk to jurors afterwards, Jurors talk to us about how impressed in these cases specifically they were with the investigation, but not just with the officers and investigators who investigated it. They're also impressed by the fact that the city has tools like this to help the police respond as quickly and thoroughly as possible to identify the person who killed their loved one or shot them. So while I understand there's differing views on the actual technology, there are many people that I talk to who are victims of crime who thoroughly appreciate the quickness and the response that Appleton officers have and that they hope that this becomes more widespread to help. But what I want to talk about too is that the crime that we see now is very different than when I started over two decades ago, because we see a lot of organized crime. And those are a lot of examples of violent crime, but it's not just that. Crime isn't just local anymore, and the importance of bringing law enforcement together becomes extremely important when we talk about the organized criminal organizations that we see. where we have groups of people that go to different communities throughout the state and the country to specifically commit crime, specifically retail thefts, ATM thefts, and burglaries. They come here to commit offenses. When we have license plate readers, that helps us identify those individuals who are coming here. We're lucky to have some really incredible small businesses in Appleton. They make our city unique and they add so much to our daily life. But we specifically have a group of offenders who focused on committing significant crimes against small businesses. Those small businesses cannot withstand the impact that a big box store can. So it can have catastrophic impacts for them as a small business when they're a victim of a crime and there's substantial harm that comes to either them personally or financially. Many times, these individuals who come here use rental cars and other vehicles that can't be traced. They are smart. Law enforcement has to be smarter. They have to have the tools. I prosecuted a shooting on Highway 41 because the defendant didn't like the way a person was driving on 41 and shot at that vehicle. That victim was one of the most traumatized victims I've worked with because it came out of complete nowhere while the victim was driving. What was interesting is that individual had a button on their car that they could cover up the license plate so we couldn't identify them. Those are the things that people do to try to get away with committing significant criminal offenses. Traffic cameras and license plate readers have helped us identify those vehicles, those offenders, and arrest and prosecute them. They have done this in many communities and allow agencies to work together to combat crime. Again, it's a tool. It's a way to link these cases that happen in multiple places so that people can't get away with these types of offenses and victimization. When we can identify and locate a vehicle, we can find evidence, DNA, and other information that helps us solve crimes. And these are just a small number of cases that I could think of quickly to put together to share with you. But it's more than that. The last two days I've been in the basement of the Appleton Police Department working on a mental health simulation to try to figure out how we can help those who are struggling with mental illness. These programs that we have The license plate readers help us when we talk about amber alerts, when you get notices on your phone or across the TV because we can't find a child. Silver alerts, where we can't find someone who has dementia or is confused and we don't know where they are, oftentimes in a vehicle driving and confused about where they are. Green alerts for veterans who may have mental health issues and could be in crisis. These are kids, vulnerable adults, veterans, and others who are in great need of the services that the Appleton Police Department can provide to keep them safe. They help us identify directions of travel and vehicles to help provide information to citizens to be able to be on the lookout when you're driving down the street and you see something from DOT telling you that they're looking for this particular vehicle. They help us with finite resources, make sure that we can save someone, we can provide the help, and that we can get to them. Minutes matter. They help us find people, and they help us save lives, and they help us hold people accountable. But license plate readers, again, are just a tool. I know for some there's a Fourth Amendment right to privacy, but the courts have upheld that there is no right to privacy on the road. Think of your laws. Think of your vehicle. You have a license plate in the front of your vehicle, and you have a license plate in the back of your vehicle because the law requires it. Law enforcement and others can run your license plate in order to see if you should be a driver, in order to see if your car is stolen. They are there to provide help. Wisconsin specifically regulates it. We have parking that goes around identifying vehicles because we wanna provide parking tickets to people. There is no right to privacy on a roadway. You have a privacy in your home, you have a privacy in your phone, which tells you a lot, but we have to ask for warrants for that. But you do not have a right to privacy as you're driving through town or anywhere else. When I work with victims of crime, people who have been significantly harmed or lost a loved one, it is devastating. They don't wanna be a victim. Their lives have been completely changed, but they appreciate the work of the Appleton Police Department. They appreciate the resources and the tools law enforcement has to do their job. And they appreciate knowing that they can be kept safe. In any profession, there's going to be people who don't do something appropriately or commit crime or use things that they shouldn't use for personal gain. We have that with school personnel, clergy, medical professions, attorneys, anyone, any field. The City of Appleton and the Appleton Police Department are no different. But what truly matters and what we need to look at is do they respond appropriately and address it immediately? In my career, I have seen that happen. I have seen that happen with the license plate reader issue. You're able to address this through policies. You're able to have conversations and provide oversight. And there are ways that it can be addressed outside of that. And to be honest, that's already happening. The criminal justice system is already in play. When people find information out and when they have an agency of integrity, that is done. You have an incredible, well-respected police agency. They hire awesome people who address issues and do amazing investigations, but they need to have the tools to do their job. And as the city and the county continue to grow and we continue to see the type of crimes that we do, they need to have every tool. including the license plate readers, because they need to have the advantage. Getting rid of license plate readers is giving criminal offenders the advantage. I know that defendants talk about our traffic cameras and the evidence that we use in trial. By getting rid of it, you're essentially telling criminals that they can come to Appleton and get away with crimes because we have less tools to identify them, to see their vehicles, or to prosecute them. With these license plate readers, cases without them, cases will go unsolved and require more time, effort, and resources. I share these cases to educate you on the role that they play in keeping the citizens of Appleton safe and ensuring officers have the tools they need in an ever-changing world to address criminal behavior that impacts all of us. I want offenders to know that if you come here and commit crime and harm our community, we will ensure we have every legal tool available to investigate, solve and prosecute the crime. I want people to know that Appleton is a safe community and that you can walk downtown or anyone else and that there is safety. And I want people to come here and want to contribute to the greatness of the city. We risk public protection and community safety when minutes and hours matter and lives can truly be saved and violent offenders can be identified, located, and successfully prosecuted if we don't have this resource. Thank you.

Thank you, District Attorney Templis. Appreciate the real-life examples and all of the commentary. Alder Fenton, go ahead.

Thank you, Chair. Since we've gone over two hours, I'd like to request that you- You read my mind, yep.

We are over two hours, so we're gonna take a five-minute break, come back at approximately 7.46. So to recap, we have resolution 9R26 in front of us. There is a motion and a second to approve that. We've heard from the police chief, recapping the memo. We've heard from the district attorney, real-world examples. We'll open it up for comment. We do have the resolution on the table, so committee members, feel free to comment. Members of the public that are still here, if you want to comment, just raise your hand, come on up to the microphone. We'll take that input now. So if you do want to address this particular resolution, which is similar to others but different, so go ahead. Oh, podium. There we go. Thank you.

Again, Tannerman 833 West Harris Street. I support this resolution. I also do not think it is nearly comprehensive enough for the city of Appleton to move forward with evaluating or discussing other vendors, but this is a good start. I say I support this resolution, and I think it's valuable. I think it has value. And I think it has value because I believe in this current council's ability to use it for good and to use it effectively, given all that's transpired over the last six months, all of the learning that we have had with this current vendor of ALPR technology. I have concerns though, because looking in the future, not all of the city council, not all of these council members will be present. The mayor might be different, et cetera. I want to refer back to the citizen-drafted ordinance because it allows for all of the functionality and the outcomes that the police chief and the district attorney praised with very few privacy trade-offs. As a side question, I'm curious, has the police department's updated policy on ALPR technology been made public?

Chief Olson, do you want to comment on that? Director Two should be on.

The most recently updated policy is still in draft form, and it's awaiting direction from basically this body as far as what we're going to do with the resolution.

Thank you. So I do want to call out that with the citizen-drafted ordinance, it has, if I remember correctly, seven major sections that are... that govern technical implementation or requirements for a future system and procedural and operational requirements. This resolution partially covers maybe one or two sections of that citizen drafted ordinance. If the police department wants a robust and politically sustainable ALPR tool in the decades to come, we must regulate more thoroughly than this. We cannot have another flock-like situation in Appleton. We almost certainly will if we do not codify more protections around AI-assisted surveillance technologies and their use. I understand the optimism about ALPR technology as a whole, and the optimism of a relatively gentle ordinance like this. From what I've seen, we have reasonable leadership currently, and that makes this optimism possible. Leadership changes, departmental policy changes. And when we have less informed, less compassionate, and less careful leaders, maybe even in the near future, We need a robust framework in place for this technology to be viable. When the right protections are in place, I believe that the Appleton Police Department and law enforcement generally will gain the support of the public. We are not there yet. Appleton has the chance to use this ordinance as a starting point. in creating a comprehensive regulatory framework that will serve all stakeholders of this technology. And you could lead the nation in effective policy making on this issue. We're well positioned to do that. I hope this body will approve this resolution and then keep building on this work. Thank you. Thank you, Tanner.

Anyone else? All right. Welcome.

Hi. I'm Laney French at 1240 Easter Peachy Street. I thank you all for everything that you've offered today. And I'm a stay-at-home mom. I'm a lifelong resident of Appleton. I have very little interaction with the police, mostly from being 15 and riding on somebody's handlebars down at Peabody Park. Luckily, I have not been a victim of violent crime, just like the vast majority of people in Appleton. I don't have that much interaction or thought about violent crime because it isn't a part of my daily life. I say a lot to my 11-year-old and to other children in my life that trust is... gained in drops and lost in buckets. And when I think about this flock debacle, I feel like what's happened is that we have We have lost faith in this kind of technology in buckets. And I like this resolution. I like the idea of public oversight of this kind of technology. And I feel like we have a perfect solution that was offered tonight of how to gain back trust a little more quickly than in the drops. And that's in covering the flock cameras. We know that that technology is dangerous for the many, many of us who are not victims of violent crime. We are not going to commit any violent crime. worried about that, we know that the flock cameras are a danger to all of us. So that could be done tomorrow. And you could move forward with figuring out what kind of license plate reading technology could work for law enforcement, for all of the things that were just spelled out about how important this is. And I think that that would be a really great way to show the public that you're willing to really earn back that trust that was lost with the flocks situation. Thank you.

Thank you. Anyone else? I know it's getting late, but all right.

John Bone, I'm at. 1512 Tri Parkway. Just want to second a lot of what other people here have said. And it's not really been mentioned too much. This has been mainly on ALPR. But companies like Flock also provide a lot of microphone equipment around that's not camera-based. And I think it's very important to include things like that as well in something about this surveillance technology, since video is one thing. Listening to people's just conversations on the street could be helpful, great for public safety. But I think that's just also a step too far. Thank you.

Anyone else? All right, come on up.

Howdy. Sean Poole, 1622 East Pauline Street. Thanks for sticking around as it's almost 8 o'clock. Just wanted to kind of concur with some of the concerns that have been brought up so far. To me, one of the most important things, regardless of any anecdotes that we look at as far as employment of the technology itself or anything like that, if we are going to use something comparable to Flock's LPRs or any other services that Flock offers, for example, going forward, just making sure that the vendor itself is actually trustworthy and that their implementation of the technology is suitably robust and does not have any glaring security issues with the infrastructure or something along those lines. That's been a point of concern that I've heard friends of mine express, even if the city of Appleton has safeguards in place for the police department. It's also just a matter of the vendor and if they can more or less be trusted to have something similar in place. Wherever the weak point in the chain is, that's kind of the point of concern. I'll keep it brief. So that's all I have right now. Thank you.

Thank you. Thanks for coming. Anyone else? No other hands going up. All right. Alder Fenton, go ahead.

Thank you, Chair. Just wanted to follow up with some of the concerns. Clearly, this is not all encompassing because we don't understand everything that might happen next week. But I want to call people's attention to one of the clauses in here that states that the same terms should apply, shall apply to any new technologies involving automated mass surveillance or data collection and analysis. using artificial intelligence that APD may seek to employ. So this resolution goes beyond automated license plate readers to other forms of surveillance technology. And also, I just wanted to make the point that while we're asking for a report of the APD policy that'll govern the use of any technology, and that that would be included in the annual report. Just wanted to remind everybody that APD's policies are public. They're on the website. Chief Olson mentioned that the new policy regarding this technology is in draft, awaiting for the final decision here. But you can go to the police department website and review the policies pretty much online. any of their practices. And I would urge people to do that so that you get clear information about how our police force operates. Thank you.

Okay. Thank you for those clarifications. Alder Hayden. Thank you, Chair. I like this. I think this is a great start for work that we're doing. And I would question. Audra Fennin is one of the authors of this and who I know is very well versed in IT. There are two areas that I kind of see potential gaps in. And I don't know if an amendment is warranted, but I would like her opinion on this. I know one of our issues with FLOC was how FLOC was able to share data with law enforcement agencies across the state and across the country. And I think one of the things that we're missing the first, now therefore be it resolved, is access and control procedures. I kind of feel like that's something that I don't know if you're kind of looping that under the umbrella of data handling practices, but that's something I think would be valuable as part of this. Beyond that, the other thing I'm kind of interested in hearing from you on is as these technologies and user license agreements evolve, is there an expectation that the police department will bring forward these changes if there are changes to the report that they put together?

So again, I'm not addressing the technology. What we hope here, what we want here is for the police department, again, we are the legislative body and we can enact the policies that would be required before we would approve the purchase of that body, but we don't make police force policy. We are asking that safeguards will be in place in those policies to make sure that all the state and federal laws and any civil rights would be addressed. So in terms of data sharing, we're looking at that to be addressed by the police department in their policies. And I've had, again, in our discussions in the drafting of this with the police department, I know that they are addressing those policy concerns. They already have made updates in their policy regarding data sharing. So I don't know that that thoroughly answers your question.

Thank you. Yes, that does. As long as those gaps are covered, we're getting these reports, and it sounds like from the conversations that you have, there is an expectation that they're covered. That's good enough for me.

Okay.

Thank you. So no amendment needed at this time.

Alder Hartzine. Oh, sorry, 13. There you go.

Thank you, Chair. Alder Fenton would be the first to admit that she and I don't see eye to eye often on political matters. But I agree with this resolution and agree where it's moving, and it's moving the city in the correct direction as far as addressing concerns of the public, but also allowing our police force to remain as vibrant as it is, as good as it is at protecting citizens. I love that we had a citizen come forward and say, Interaction with police is not something I do every day because I feel safe. This city is safe. A part of that has to do with the fact that APD is so strong and good for our community. This, I believe, gives them the tools to do so with the ability to have us view oversight and review oversight. I am in favor of this and hope that the committee will vote in favor of it and push it forward to the council in that manner. Thank you.

Thank you, Alderheart. So that's exactly why I made the motion I made in the beginning was because I think this, as I stated earlier, This resolution is well put together, well researched. It took into consideration a lot of things, including public concern, options for the police department to continue to use tools to fight crime and solve cases, but also puts into play all those safeguards and protections that need to be reviewed as part of implementing any new system. So other comments or questions on this resolution and the motion on the table? Mayor Woodford. Director Three, go ahead.

Thank you, Chair. I'd just like to take this opportunity to thank Alders, Van Zeeland, and Fenton for their work on this resolution. I think this drafting process stands as an example for all members of council when it comes to putting together a resolution. They began with a concept and had extensive discussions with departmental personnel and leadership, with members of the public, with my office. And I just want to call this out, I think is a great example. And we have other examples of similar processes with recent examples from a member of your own committee who followed a similar process. And it allows for a collaborative and productive legislative process. but to be clear, not one without compromise. And we did not agree at every stage of the development process of this resolution. However, as it stands today, I'm in full support of the resolution as presented because we agree that having a robust policy framework in place for the governing of emerging technology is important and that we share in prioritizing the needs and concerns of the public with respect to privacy and constitutional rights. And so again, I'd just like to thank the authors and thank the committee for entertaining a robust discussion this evening.

Thank you, Mayor. I appreciate those comments and your support or clarity on your support for the resolution. Anyone else? Alder Lambrick, go ahead.

Yeah, I would like to echo that. I think we have been hearing for a while from folks that were concerned about this topic and this issue. And I do also want to highlight that advocacy and the fact that all of the folks that were here tonight to share their perspectives and to give their thoughts on this. I think, frankly, part of the reason why we're having this discussion comes from that pressure that came from the public. And so I do want to just highlight the fact that advocacy matters. And when there are issues that you care deeply about being able to engage with the city leaders, we want to hear those concerns so that we can try and do something about it, which is why I'm excited to also support this resolution tonight.

Thank you for those comments. And I echo that. I appreciate those that have reached out to me regarding this matter since this all started a while back. I appreciate the comments and questions about where do we go from here. Okay, if there's no other discussion, we can, unless someone has any other comments or questions, raise your hand if you do. We're getting late, so we're going to try to wrap this up. and we'll take a vote on the motion and the second to approve Resolution 9R26. All those in favor of approval, signify by saying aye. Aye. All opposed? All right, 4-0. That will go to the full City Council as a recommendation to approve that resolution in its submitted form. No changes. Okay, moving on.

Can I make a motion to approve the balance of the agenda?

All right. Second. Motion and second to approve the balance of the agenda, which is 26-0812, 26-0844, 26-0845, 26-0846, and 26-0831, which are all license applications, similar, yeah, temporary premise. Yeah, that's the balance of the agenda for action items. Are there any of those that anyone would like separated out for a separate vote? Not seeing any, okay. Any comments or questions on any of those? Not seeing any, okay, we'll take a vote. All those in favor of approving the balance of the agenda, signify by saying aye. Aye. All opposed? 4-0, okay. Action items are taken care of. We'll go back to the information items list. 26-0824, there is a alcohol license violation conviction, dispensing alcohol to a minor. Business is on 527 West College Avenue, Sushi Lover. I would imagine they're gonna be asked to come before the committee and explain what happened and what measures they're taking to correct it from happening again. Next on the information item list is 26-0832. It's the Appleton Police Department May 26, 2026 traffic report. Chief Olson, you want to just highlight or summarize or take questions? Director 2, go ahead.

I think that this committee is getting used to the cadence of receiving these reports, and so I can answer any questions you might have, but Otherwise, yeah, I don't have anything additional to add.

Sure, and thank you for the continued bringing these forward for us. I know there's some that are following these, especially the downtown noise complaints and enforcement warnings or citations, whatever is being issued. So are there any questions from committee members on the combined focus report? Alder Hartzine, go ahead.

Thank you, Chair. I apologize that I do not know this, but is this information available directly on the city's website through the Appleton Police Department? Chief?

This particular report is not available on our website. It is attached, obviously, to this meeting, so it's always the last meeting of the month for safety and licensing. The data, as far as looking at crime mapping, is there. It's just not in this form.

Thank you. Okay, thank you. Any other questions or comments on traffic report? Alder Smith left, otherwise he might have a question or two as it relates to downtown. Okay, next on the agenda is 26-0830. It's a list of special events. There's a bunch of them. It's summertime, lots going on. After that, we have director's reports, 26-0829, but there's nothing listed for city clerk, nothing listed for fire, and nothing listed for police chiefs, so nothing there to highlight or discuss. That would take us all the way to the bottom. Move to adjourn.

Second.

Motion and second to adjourn. All those in favor of adjournment, signify by saying aye. Aye. All opposed? 4-0. We are adjourned.