This browser does not support the Video element.
Racine County: Records show Flock misuse and discipline
There's been another case of a law enforcement officer improperly using flock cameras, and it raises the question of how different agencies deal with the abuse. FOX6's Ben Hanson has more on a case of misuse in the Racine County Sheriff’s Office and the discipline that came with it.
RACINE, Wis. - A flock of problems surrounds another case of a law enforcement officer improperly using Flock cameras. It raises the question of how different agencies deal with abuse.
New open records showed how the Racine County Sheriff’s Office dealt with a recent case of misuse. The investigator who violated policy got 10 days of suspension without pay.
October 2025 incident
What we know:
According to these records, in October of last year, this investigator used the Flock camera system to track his partner’s ex-boyfriend because he was allegedly stalking the partner. An administrative investigation was done, and he received a 10-day suspension without pay.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android
They also informally directed the case to the Racine County District Attorney, Patricia Hanson. At that time, Hanson let the case go because she didn’t find any criminal action.
Increase in Flock interest
What we know:
With the public’s increased interest in Flock cameras, they re-sent the case to the district attorney in May, and again, it was dismissed.
The investigator in the Racine County Sheriff’s Office case is not being named because he was never criminally charged.
Lieutenant Michael Luell with the sheriff’s office said they have put together new guardrails for Flock camera use. Only supervisors and investigators can conduct Flock system searches, the office audits the system now, and they now have office-wide training.
"I think the guardrails are appropriate and will serve to manage this important technology that we use on a consistent basis to solve crimes," Luell said. "So Flock is a very, very important crime-fighting tool that law enforcement uses. We’re not shying away from it, but just like any piece of equipment, any ounce of authority, things can be abused, and we put guardrails in place to try to limit or minimize that to the fact that it won’t happen at all."
Jamie Pagac, an attorney with Kim & LaVoy, emphasized how difficult it can be to represent a defendant when Flock camera misuse rises to the level of criminal charges.
SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News
"I think each individual department has its own policies in terms of what that gray area is and what that continuum of misbehavior is," Pagac said. "But with anything out there, especially with technology, nowadays with artificial intelligence, there is always a concern of misuse, there is always a concern of overreach."
Around the same time, this Flock misuse case was under review, so was one by a Racine police officer. Their case was also dismissed from criminal charges.
An open records request was sent for any discipline they received, but an answer has not been returned yet.
Portions of this article were formatted using A.I. FOX6’s Ben Hanson and an editor reviewed it for accuracy and tone prior to publishing.
The Source: Information in this story was gathered from Racine County Sheriff’s Office open records, Racine County District Attorney Patricia Hanson, Lieutenant Michael Luell and Racine Police Department.