MPD's Transparency Portal: A Closer Look! #security #flocksafety #policing

Our Take

Credit to Audio Articles for flagging this one: Milwaukee PD has rolled out an online portal showing some numbers around its Flock Safety camera network, framed as a win for transparency. On paper, that sounds like progress — most departments running these systems won't tell you how many cameras they have, let alone how the data gets used. But a dashboard with high-level stats isn't the same as meaningful oversight. It doesn't tell you who's pulling searches, why, how long footage sits in the system, or whether it's getting shared with ICE, other agencies, or anyone outside the stated scope.

This is the pattern we keep seeing nationwide: departments adopt mass-surveillance infrastructure first, then offer a curated public-relations layer after the fact instead of real audit trails, retention limits, or community consent baked in from the start. A 'portal' controlled entirely by the same department running the cameras isn't independent verification — it's self-reporting. Real transparency means open audit logs, third-party oversight, and hard answers about data-sharing agreements, not a polished webpage.

If you're in Milwaukee or anywhere else, don't just take the dashboard's word for it — check our camera map to see what's actually been deployed near you, and hit up take-action for ways to push your local council for the kind of transparency that actually has teeth.