Flock system mix-up, Brookfield traffic stop of wrong person

BROOKFIELD, Wis. - Brookfield police pulled someone over, guns drawn, after a Flock camera flagged their car for a Milwaukee homicide. It turned out to be a mix-up involving the wrong person.

Flock camera error

What we know:

It happened at around 4:45 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 6. Video from I-94 in Waukesha County shows multiple officers with guns drawn – and a passenger sticking their hands out the window. 

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Police pulled the car over after a Flock camera flagged it for a Milwaukee homicide. But when Brookfield Police called the Milwaukee Police Department, MPD said they no longer needed the car or the people inside, so officers let them go. 

FOX6 News reached out to MPD to learn why that car was still active in the Flock system. The department said it was not a Flock issue, but a personnel issue – staff failed to remove a wanted vehicle alert from the system.

Brookfield Police Chief Christopher Garcia maintains that the officers' actions were "consistent" with the information available to them.

Interview with Amber Newell

What they're saying:

Amber Newell, the woman who was pulled over, spoke with FOX6. She said this is not the first time this happened to her this week.

"I haven’t been asleep since this has happened," Newell said. "Every time I close my eyes, all I can see is guns."

Newell is still shaken up from Thursday.

When Brookfield police surrounded her car on I-94, drew their guns, and told her to come out with her hands up.

"My momma is like my go-to person, I wanted to call her so bad yesterday, but I’m like, if I make a sudden move, it’s gonna be over, it’s going to end my life," Newell said.

"It was very embarrassing because after they put us in cuffs, they walked us to the car, I don’t know what’s going on, I’m scared, all you see is people in they cars recording," Newell said.

Brookfield's chief said his officers did nothing wrong.

"The only thing they said was to contact Milwaukee Police Department, it’s their fault. That’s all they kept saying: it’s their fault, it’s not our fault, it’s their fault," Newell said.

Milwaukee police declined an interview.

Last Monday, Newell said the same thing happened when Milwaukee police pulled her over with guns drawn.

She said officers never explained why, towed her car, and let her go.

Newell said she is still scared to drive her car, and her daughter is too.

"My daughter keep asking me, mama is the police going to get us? She doesn’t want to ride in the car no more because she don’t know if the police going to pull us over and do it again," Newell said.

Now, she is hoping for an explanation and an apology.

"I’m really mad at Milwaukee, MPD because y’all failed, y’all failed the system, y’all failed me, y’all failed everybody – I’m traumatized now," Newell said.

Milwaukee police emphasized this was not a Flock camera issue, just a data entry mistake. Police have not said how they could avoid this in the future.

Flock cameras point of contention

Dig deeper:

Flock cameras have become a point of contention in a lot of areas. The cameras use artificial intelligence technology to scan your license plate, and they can keep track of where you drive. This all happens without a warrant. Recently, that controversy has only grown as more reports of misuse by law enforcement across the country arise – and Wisconsin.

Two members of the Milwaukee Police Department have faced separate criminal cases for illegally misusing the department's automated Flock Safety license plate reader system to stalk and track citizens for personal reasons.

Waukesha also had a Flock-related incident recently. Police there said a Flock camera was damaged. They are looking for a person of interest. Police believe the suspect used a metal pole to strike the Flock camera.

What they're saying:

In Dane County, FOX6 News spoke with the county board chair about why they voted to remove the technology.

"Flock is a company that supports technology with automatic license plate readers. The sheriff's office wanted to extend (the contract). However, we on the county board were hearing from other communities around the country where Flock was really violating the public's trust," said Dane County Board Chair Patrick Miles. "Even here close to home, they were violating peoples' trust, so we pulled the funding from the sheriff's office to not renew that contract, but at same time we acknowledge that it's important technology."

Miles said Dane County has since restored that funding to the sheriff's office, but not to use a different tech company – not Flock.

FOX6 News reached out to Flock 

What they're saying:

FOX6 News reached out to Flock and asked the following questions. They sent the following responses:

Patrick Miles called Flock Safety a "proven bad actor" and said its technology is used to violate Fourth Amendment rights. What is Flock’s response to that characterization and the board’s decision to defund the 2026 contract?

"We strongly disagree with the characterization of Flock as a ‘proven bad actor.’ Flock’s license plate readers capture objective, point-in-time images of vehicles and license plates in public view. They do not use facial recognition, identify individuals, or collect personal information such as names, phone numbers, or home addresses. More than 40 courts across the country have upheld the constitutionality of responsibly deployed license plate reader systems. Flock also builds accountability into the platform: every search requires a documented reason and creates a permanent audit trail that agencies can review. The Dane County Sheriff’s Office and agencies across the country all solved countless serious crimes and made a measurable public safety impact with Flock technology. When a tool that is actively helping solve violent crimes is removed, public safety moves backward. That has real consequences: cases will take longer to solve, organized retail theft crews will operate with fewer obstacles, an Amber Alert may not be returned home, and victims may wait longer, or indefinitely, for justice."

Does Flock plan to engage with the Dane County board or the sheriff’s office to propose alternative data-sharing limits, or is the relationship effectively terminated?

"Flock is always open to engaging with communities and elected leaders."

How does Flock respond to growing public resentment toward the technology in everyday neighborhoods, and what steps are you taking to rebuild community trust?

"We understand that people have legitimate questions about any technology used by law enforcement, and we welcome that conversation. The platform is designed around local control. Agencies own and control their data, access is limited to authorized users, every search requires a documented reason, and every search is permanently logged. Data is automatically deleted after 30 days by default unless an agency establishes a different retention period consistent with applicable law and policy. Flock also provides tools such as Audit Assistance to help agencies identify unusual search patterns and address potential misuse proactively. We will continue listening, answering questions directly, and improving our products and policies based on community feedback. We do not believe communities should have to choose between privacy and public safety."

Any comment on recent investigations and cases involving law-enforcement misuse, including the Milwaukee officer recently sentenced to probation?

"Any misuse of the Flock system is unacceptable, and anyone who violates the law or agency policy should be held accountable. We defer to the Milwaukee Police Department, prosecutors, and the courts regarding the specific facts and proceedings in this case."

Editor's note: This was updated with new information. 

Portions of this article were formatted using A.I. FOX6’s Stephanie Quirk and an editor reviewed it for accuracy and tone prior to publishing.

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