Milwaukee Flock camera policy changes; FPC Commission discusses
Milwaukee Flock camera policy changes; FPC Commission discusses
The debate over Milwaukee’s Flock cameras continued on Thursday night. The Fire and Police Commission discussed recent policy changes, with a lengthy public comment.
MILWAUKEE - Commissioners on Thursday night, Sept. 17, took a hard look at how Milwaukee Police use Flock license plate cameras, following major concerns over privacy and abuse.
This comes after three Milwaukee police officers were caught or investigated for misusing the system – including an Internal Affairs officer assigned to investigate the original misuse.
Thursday night meeting
Dig deeper:
The Common Council demanded major changes, warning that funding for these cameras could be cut in the upcoming budget. During the meeting, the Milwaukee Police Department chief of staff gave background on the city's history with Flock.
The presentation walked through the most recent updates to guardrails the police department has incorporated. Those updates consist of limiting access to the software, cutting off data sharing with outside agencies, setting a strict seven-day limit on saving data, as well as banning searches related to civil immigration.
As the presentation went on, things got heated when the Fire and Police Commission chairwoman asked if data was previously shared with federal agencies.
What they're saying:
"There are federal operating agencies operating in Wisconsin. Can you tell whether at any time data has been shared with ICE?" asked the Fire and Police Commission Chair Miriam Horwitz .
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"Yeah, I don't know the specifics of what those relationships were when we first turned on the cameras," the police representative said.
The police department then reiterated that at this time there is no other jurisdiction, but MPD has access to this data. While MPD says it is listening to comments from the public and implementing new elements to ensure the software is used to help the victims of crime, the department stands by wanting to keep the tool.
"Would we like to keep Flock? Yes, because we have spent a lot of time and energy fixing how we are dealing with this, ensuring its appropriate use and if we get a new vendor, that means starting that process all over," said Heather Hecimovich Hough, MPD chief of staff.
During the public comment portion, Alderwoman Marina Dimitrijevic chimed in.
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"If this is funded in the future in 2027 budget, I and Alderman Brower and there will be others, will delete the funding in the 2027 budget that goes to fund any ALPRs until there is a public policy," said Dimitrijevic.
People speaking during public comment said that they are seeking accountability and transparency. That is their demand as they continue to seek the termination of the city's contract with Flock.
Portions of this article were formatted using A.I. FOX6’s reporter and an editor reviewed it for accuracy and tone prior to publishing.
The Source: Information in this story was gathered from the Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission, the Milwaukee Police Department, MPD Chief of Staff Heather Hecimovich Hough, Alderwoman Marina Dimitrijevic, Alderman Bauman and members of the public speaking at the commission meeting.