MILWAUKEE - A former Milwaukee police officer, who prosecutors said misused the department's Flock Safety license plate reader system to track an ex, was sentenced to probation and fined on Wednesday.
Former officer guilty
In court:
Josue Ayala, 34, pleaded guilty and was convicted of misdemeanor attempted misconduct in public office in June. On Wednesday, a judge sentenced Ayala to one year of probation and fined him $500.
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Ayala faced a maximum of up to nine months in jail and a $10,000 fine. Previously, the district attorney's office said the misdemeanor charge was part of a negotiation that included Ayala agreeing to resign from the Milwaukee Police Department. His resignation was announced on March 4, the same date as his initial court appearance.
In March, a judge ordered Ayala not to have contact with the two victims in the case. In June, a court commissioner granted two restraining orders against the former officer.
Josue Ayala in court on July 15, 2026.
Misconduct investigation
The backstory:
A criminal complaint said Ayala, who was an eight-year department veteran based at Milwaukee Police District 2, used his authorized access to search MPD's license plate database 179 times for personal reasons.
Ayala searched the license plate of an ex more than 50 times, court filings said, and searched that person's ex-partner more than 100 times.
Milwaukee police Flock misuse, detective accused of misconduct
A Milwaukee police detective, part of an internal investigation into misuse of the Flock camera system, is now himself accused of misusing the technology.
MPD policy required officers to document the reason for each search, and prosecutors said Ayala used a single-word justification each time: "investigation."
The alleged misuse was not initially uncovered internally. Charging documents said one of the victims searched their own license plate on a website called haveibeenflocked.com and then alerted police, prompting a follow-up investigation that identified nearly 200 unauthorized searches.
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Josue Ayala is not related to Alex Ayala, the president of the Milwaukee Police Association.
Dig deeper:
MPD said it strengthened the audit process to catch future problems and made every user re-request access and sign that they will follow the rules.
Flock cameras can be found across the country and state. Milwaukee has more than 30 of the cameras in its system. Milwaukee's Fire and Police Commission will audit Flock usage, meaning a random sample of searches.
The Source: Information in this story is from the Milwaukee Police Department, Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office and Wisconsin Circuit Court.