MILWAUKEE — A former Milwaukee Police Department detective pleaded not guilty Wednesday to a pair of criminal charges, including a felony, stemming from the alleged misuse of the department's Flock license plate reader camera database.
Prosecutors say Tehrangi Chapman used the MPD's Flock camera database to track the movements of two people 20 times for personal reasons. The Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office also says Chapman placed a GPS tracking device on a victim's car.
The department confirmed it terminated Chapman last week.
Court records show Chapman was one of the internal affairs detectives assigned to investigate another former officer's misuse of the same Flock database.
That former officer, Josue Ayala, was sentenced to probation last month after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor. Ayala tracked an ex and her dating partner more than 170 times on Flock.
"I wanted to begin by taking accountability for the poor judgment that I exercised in my actions," Ayala said in court on July 15.
Prosecutor Matthew Torbenson addressed the broader impact of the misconduct at Ayala's sentencing in July.
"It results in a lack of trust from our community. That's the story that's going to be printed today. It is about police misuse of the Flock system," Torbenson said on July 15.
Just as in Ayala's case, court records show it took a victim coming forward for MPD to uncover Chapman's alleged misuse.
During an interview last month, Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman defended the department's use of the technology.
"Absolutely, unequivocally," Norman said on July 9. "We have so many examples of what happens when we use these tools in the right way."
The prosecutor handling Chapman's case said after a previous hearing that negotiations are underway for a potential plea deal, though the proposed terms have not been disclosed.
Chapman declined to comment after Wednesday's hearing. He is due back in court in October.
TMJ4 asked MPD whether it has implemented Flock Safety's recommendation of limiting the database search window from 30 to 7 days. MPD said it has not made that policy change.
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