Milwaukee County covers Flock cameras, moves away from controversial tech

Milwaukee County is a step closer to getting rid of Flock automatic license plate reader cameras. On Monday, joined by county board members, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley signed a resolution directing the removal of Flock cameras from county parks.

“Today is about our commitment to protecting the rights and privacy of our residents,” said Crowley, who is running for governor against Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany.  “Across the country, the use of Flock cameras and automated license plate readers, or ALPRs, has sparked a fierce backlash that defies traditional partisan lines. Residents and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are asking whether the convenience of this technology is worth the cost to our privacy, and who is accountable for how it is used.”

Flock cameras store images of traveling vehicles and their license plates in a database which can be searched by law enforcement using license plate numbers or vehicle descriptions. 

Although police can use the AI-powered cameras to investigate crimes such as homicide, kidnapping and theft, they have also been used to track protesters and women suspected of crossing state lines to seek an abortion. There have also been numerous cases in Wisconsin and elsewhere of officers or police staff using Flock to track romantic partners and exes. In some areas, local police chiefs and elected officials have expressed a distrust of Flock Safety, the multi-billion dollar company behind the cameras. 

Both Crowley and Tiffany have criticized Flock, though Tiffany said just months ago that he did not know what the cameras were. Since then Tiffany has proposed prohibiting shared revenue funds from being used for Flock cameras, and has labeled Crowley as an advocate of constant surveillance. Police surveillance cameras were  adopted in Milwaukee as the city and county sought to tamp down reckless driving and car theft with the support of  Republican lawmakers. 

Crowley said that in Wisconsin, “Flock executives have shown a pattern of misleading the public about their business practices, their safety record, their commitment to privacy, and their efforts to protect vulnerable populations.” He added that, “nationwide, we have seen documented cases of law enforcement officials misusing this data for personal and often malicious reasons.”

Though Crowley said that none of those cases involved Milwaukee County employees, but two officers with the city’s police department have been charged or sentenced for misusing Flock. 

Crowley said that while he appreciated the sheriff’s office work on a policy framework to address concerns about Flock, “even the strongest policy framework is only as trustworthy as the company behind the technology, and a good relationship with the vendor does not safeguard our residents’ data.” 

“‘It hasn’t happened here yet’ is not a good enough reason to keep this technology in place,” he said. “We cannot wait until data is breached, privacy is compromised, or information is misused before we act. When it comes to our residents’ rights and safety, we must be proactive.”

Milwaukee County’s contract with Flock expires in December, and the proposed 2027 budget does not include funding for Flock. Last week, teams of Milwaukee County Park workers began covering the cameras to prevent them from collecting data. In recent public meetings, the sheriff’s office pushed against the cancellation of Flock, attributing a 43% decline in certain crimes within county parks to the camera’s arrival, and warning that crime will rise should they be removed. Recently, the Milwaukee Police Department signaled that it would renew its own contract with Flock while also employing new auditing and other guardrails to detect further signs of misuse.

“Our residents should be able to enjoy our beautiful parks without wondering whether their presence is being logged in an AI-powered surveillance system run by a company that has already lost the trust of local governments and law enforcement agencies across the country,” Crowley said. “Today, Milwaukee County is choosing to put our residents first. And I will keep making that choice, every day, in every decision.”