MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Equal Rights Commission (ERC) will hold a hybrid public meeting to discuss the implementation and use of facial recognition technology by the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD), according to a government notification.
Time will be limited for public comment and the ERC is only allotting a total of 30 minutes for the citizens to weigh in. Each person who signs up must keep their comments under three minutes, according to the release.
Community members who do not want to speak at the meeting or who cannot attend can send in a more lengthy opinion can submit written testimony for the official record.
Background:
In a Fire and Police Commission (FPC) meeting on April 17, MPD provided information to the commission.
During the meeting, residents appeared to weigh in on the policy and were overall opposed to its use by MPD.
Katie Grillaert, a Waukesha resident who frequently spends time in Milwaukee and works in AI risk and governance, opposed the implementation.
"Why should civilians be OK with systems that can track us by name, race or just by mistake and slot us into a story that we never consented to," she said. "It is not about facial recognition being bad tech, it's dangerous power."
MPD held a differing view and is in favor of introducing the technology into the department's toolkit.
"We desire to keep everyone safe and we recognize the very delicate balance between advancements in technology and ensuring we as a department, do not violate the rights of all of those in this diverse community of interest that we serve," Heather Hough, chief of staff for MPD, said.
At the meeting, Hough wanted the public to know that MPD was under no obligation to inform Milwaukee residents it was considering adopting this technology, but decided to bring it forward to hear how the community felt.
No action was taken during the meeting because the FPC no longer votes to approve MPD policy, procedures or operating instructions. After Act 12 was approved in 2023, that power resides with the Milwaukee Chief of Police.
Registration to speak:
The ERC is hosting the meeting for more individuals to express their opinions. A Microsoft Teams link was provided in the meeting notification and the ERC wrote, "Your voice matters—join us in this important conversation about transparency, technology, and public safety in Milwaukee."
Time and space are limited. If anyone wishes to register, they can email ERC@milwaukee.gov ahead of the meeting.
How to attend virtually:
Click here
Meeting ID: 236 021 156 369
Passcode: Hn9Zr2cR
How to attend in person:
Date: Wednesday June 18
Time: 4 p.m.
Location: Milwaukee City Hall in room 301-A
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