RACINE — The Racine Police Department confirms that two of its officers are under investigation for allegedly misusing Flock license plate-reading cameras. This development comes the same week two Milwaukee police officers are scheduled to appear in court on separate Flock misuse criminal charges.
Racine Police Chief has not disclosed details about what the two Racine officers are accused of doing, citing the active nature of the investigation. The two officers have hired a lawyer who declined to comment. TMJ4 is not naming those officers because they have not been criminally charged.
Racine County District Attorney Patricia Hanson said the investigations don’t stop there. She tells TMJ4 that three other alleged Flock misuse cases in Racine County have been referred to her office for potential criminal prosecution. Hanson said she had already chosen not to charge two of them for reasons she has yet to specify. She says she has not yet made a charging decision on the third.
In total, based on information from prosecutors and police, five Racine County officers either have been or are currently being investigated for alleged misuse of the system.
Watch: Two Racine police officers under investigation for alleged Flock camera misuse; DA also reviewing RCSO case
The Racine Police Department operates 37 Flock cameras spread across the city. The cameras photograph the back of every vehicle that passes, capturing identifiable features including make, model, and license plate. That data is stored in a database for 30 days and is intended to help police solve crimes.
Racine resident Xavion said learning about the investigations deepened concerns he already had about the cameras.
"I think a lot of bad things can happen, especially if a bad officer ends up with it and he uses it for his own reason,” he said.
Xavion said he believes Racine residents — not police — should have the final say on whether the technology stays in the community.
"I think we should do a vote or something like that to get them torn down because it's obvious that they're not using them for safety reasons,” Xavion said.
Not everyone in Racine shares those concerns. Resident Frank James said he supports Flock cameras because they help officers track down criminal suspects, and he does not believe allegations of misuse are reason enough to remove them.
"It's getting outrageous the way people are shooting and killing people for no reason,” James said.
James said misconduct by a few should not define the program.
"You're always going to have some people that mess up your system. So they just got caught using it the wrong way. You're going to have that in everything you do,” he added.
TMJ4 reached out to Racine’s mayor to request an interview. We have yet to hear back from him.
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