MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission heard hours of public testimony Thursday night as the city grapples with whether police should adopt facial recognition technology, with every speaker during public comment opposing its use.
The commission reviewed a report from the Policing Project at NYU School of Law, a nonpartisan organization focused on police transparency. The report concluded that if communities allow facial recognition, it should only be implemented with strong safeguards and accountability measures.
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Community members raised concerns about privacy invasion, human error, technology abuse and misidentification during the hearing.
"I also don't trust this technology to be accurate, to identify people — and it's likely to racially stereotype particular faces," Gigi Pomerantz said, urging commissioners to reject its use.
Another speaker emphasized the human cost of potential errors.
"Anybody can be misidentified at any time," the speaker said. "At some point, we've got to put people first — So I say no to FRT, yes to the people."
Watch: MKE police chief outlines facial recognition limits as residents voice concerns
Tech Policy Counsel Katie Kinsey presented virtually, acknowledging both benefits and risks of the technology.
The opposition extends beyond Thursday's hearing. Milwaukee's Equal Rights Commission unanimously passed a resolution in July formally opposing the Milwaukee Police Department's implementation of facial recognition technology. In May, 11 of the Common Council's 15 members sent a letter to Police Chief Jeffrey Norman expressing their opposition.
However, not everyone completely opposes the technology. Bryce Pagel said he's "split down the middle," sharing accuracy and bias concerns while acknowledging potential benefits.
"I understand how they could use it for good," Pagel said. "There's a lot that happens in the city, they might need it for."
Police Chief Jeffrey Norman told commissioners the department "has not taken on any particular program for use of FRT" and "nothing will be obtained without having a policy in place."
"I believe in slow-walking it," said Chief Norman.
The police chief said ongoing discussions with the public and elected leaders are essential, emphasizing the need for "proper guardrails" and "accountability" to prevent misuse. No standard operating procedure has been put in place at this time as conversations are still ongoing, according to Police Chief Norman.
While Norman believes facial recognition "has a place within the operations of what we do," he said it would be limited to violent crimes such as when "someone has been raped, someone who has been murdered, [or] carjackings."
Norman added that facial recognition technology would only serve as a lead generator in criminal investigations. Investigators would still need to provide sufficient evidence for probable cause to issue an arrest or warrant.
Milwaukee police do not need commission approval to use the technology. Chief of Staff Heather Hough confirmed that the Milwaukee Police Department has already used facial recognition technology in coordination with neighboring law enforcement agencies.
The contrast between public skepticism, expert caution and the police department's stance keeps facial recognition as a contentious issue in Milwaukee's public safety debate.
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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