MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson announces an agreement with significant changes for how the Milwaukee Police Department can use Flock automated license plate readers.
Those changes announced in a statement from the mayor August 31 include restricting Flock data access to only Milwaukee Police supervisors, creating a publicly available dashboard on the department’s use of the technology, and only using the cameras for “Part 1” or violent crimes, drug trafficking, and missing persons or abduction cases.
Other changes include requiring regular independent audits of the police department’s Flock camera use, sharing a a publicly available dashboard providing information about the department’s use of the technology, and a promise from the mayor’s office to continue monitoring the use of Flock cameras “on a regular basis”. Previously, MPD announced its own internal audit is helping identify potentially suspicious searches.
“I recognize the benefits of the Flock cameras system. On multiple occasions this tool has located critical missing persons and helped apprehend violent criminals in Milwaukee. The technology has also been misused in several notable instances, both locally and nationally, compromising the rights of individuals,” said Johnson in the statement. “Changes in the way the Milwaukee Police Department uses Flock cameras are necessary and appropriate.”
Johnson said the changes were agreed to by both Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman and Fire and Police Commission (FPC) Executive Director Leon Todd. It’s still unclear when the changes will officially take effect; an MPD spokesperson told WTMJ the changes do not require approval from the FPC to enact.
In the department’s own statement on the changes, MPD defended its use of the technology citing its ability to apprehend suspects quicker than traditional investigations while also acknowledging the impact on the community’s trust in the department after a former officer was convicted of using the cameras to spy on a former romantic partner and two Milwaukee Police staffers were investigated for abusing of the system.
“We are working with our City leadership to create robust guardrails to ensure that Flock is used exclusively as a crime solving tool for the benefit of crime victims who have been harmed in our community,” said the department spokesperson.
“Flock cameras have proven to be a valuable investigative tool for officers working to solve crimes and protect the people of Milwaukee. We appreciate that the City’s response recognizes the difference between misuse of a tool and the legitimate use of that tool by the overwhelming majority of officers who follow the rules,” said Milwaukee Police Association President Alexander Ayala in a separate statement.
The announcement comes as communities across several Wisconsin including Appleton, Oshkosh, and Sturgeon Bay are canceling their Flock contracts and others are debating doing the same. In Milwaukee, several members of the Common Council urged additional oversight of MPD’s use of Flock in a letter authored by Alderwoman Marina Dimitrijevic August 25.
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