MILWAUKEE — Neighbors packed a Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission meeting Thursday to demand an end to the city's use of Flock cameras, with some saying recently added safeguards by Milwaukee Police are insufficient.
Residents and activists said they are not asking for additional safeguards — they want the automatic license plate reading cameras discontinued entirely.
"We just don't trust them to tell us what they're going to do. And so, I think we have to move their hand closer towards doing what the public wants, which in this case, I think it's the elimination of Flock is what people want," Alan Chavoya, an activist, said.
The meeting came after the Milwaukee Common Council sent a letter last month calling for tighter oversight of Milwaukee Police's use of Flock cameras, following multiple allegations of officers misusing the technology.
Milwaukee Police Department responded with a letter outlining several changes it has already made, including keeping license plate data for only 7 days, limiting searches to supervisors and specific types of crimes, and ending the sharing of its Flock network with other agencies.
But those changes did not satisfy residents and activists at City Hall on Thursday.
Emilio De Torre, Executive Director of Milwaukee Turners at Turner Hall, said he hopes the commission acts before the contract expires.
"I'm really hoping that the Fire and Police Commission will listen to the many, many months of criticism of Flock and make a recommendation to the mayor and the common council that we do not renew our contract when it terminates at the end of this year or cancel the contract today," De Torre said.
During the public comment portion of the meeting, Alderwoman Marina Dimitrijevic said she will advocate to eliminate Flock camera funding in 2027.
No action items were on the meeting agenda Thursday, so no decision came out of the meeting. Neighbors said showing up and voicing their concerns is an important part of the process.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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