Milwaukee County bags Flock cameras as automated license plate readers now banned from parks
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Milwaukee County leaders officially banned Flock cameras and automated license plate readers from county parks in a legislation signing event Monday at Carver Park on Milwaukee's near north side.
The county board voted unanimously to ban plate readers from parks at its Oct. 1 meeting, and even before County Executive David Crowley signed the legislation with Board Chairwoman Marcelia Nicholson-Bovell, parks workers placed bags over the 42 Flock cameras in county parks.
County leaders have cited privacy concerns, and they also pointed to instances of officers misusing Flock data for their nefarious personal use. They also cited data sharing issues cited by other law enforcement agencies when dropping their Flock agreements in recent weeks.
"We cannot wait for a data breach," Crowley told reporters at the event. "We cannot wait until privacy is compromised or whether information is misused before we actually act."
Milwaukee County Sheriff Denita Ball has previously supported automated license plate reader (ALPR) technology as a valuable crime fighting tool. A spokesman for the sheriff's office did not respond to questions Monday.
"Even the strongest policy framework is only as trustworthy as the company behind the technology," Crowley said. "And a good partnership with a vendor does not safeguard our residents' data."
In recent weeks, elected bodies and law enforcement agencies in Racine, Fond du Lac, Jefferson and Sheboygan counties have ended their contracts with Flock. Data sharing concerns were often cited as a primary reason for the decision.
County Board Supervisor Justin Bielinski sponsored the Milwaukee County proposal, and at Monday's event, he said he didn't think there was a compelling public safety reason to allow warrantless, widespread tracking of license plates.
"ALPRs are good for things like when you're paying to park at [American Family Field], when you're checking for parking and things like that," Bielinski said. "But I'm not sure if there's a role for it in terms of police surveillance at this time. I think the technology is unreliable."
Crowley's proposed 2027 budget will not include funding for Flock cameras or any other type of ALPR service.
While Milwaukee County pauses its use of ALPR technology, the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) is pushing to continue it. MPD officials confirmed last week they intend to renew their contract with Flock, which is currently set to expire in January.
A spokesman for Mayor Cavalier Johnson said last week Johnson supports MPD's continued use of Flock cameras, as long as MPD enforces new restrictions that limit access to supervisors and ends the practice of sharing Flock data with outside agencies.
MPD has previously credited Flock cameras with helping investigators find Maxwell Anderson, the man convicted of killing and dismembering Sade Robinson in one of the city's most high-profile crimes in recent years.
At the county level, officials made clear they do not see the same value the city does.
"Government has a responsibility to protect people from harm," Nicholson-Bovell said. "But that doesn't give us a blank check to monitor their movements."