MPD investigating second former officer for possible misuse of license plate reader tech
The short version: TMJ4 News reports Milwaukee PD is now investigating a second officer for allegedly misusing Flock ALPR data, proving abuse isn't a one-off glitch but a pattern.
Our Take
Credit to TMJ4 News for staying on this story, because this is exactly how these scandals tend to unfold: first it's one 'bad apple,' then suddenly it's two, and the department insists it's still an isolated issue. Milwaukee PD wants the public to believe this is a personnel problem. We'd argue it's an architecture problem. When you build a system that gives hundreds of officers searchable access to everyone's movements, misuse isn't a bug — it's the predictable outcome.
Flock's sales pitch always centers on solving violent crime, but audit logs across the country keep telling a different story: officers running plates for personal disputes, exes, neighbors, and curiosity searches with zero case number attached. Milwaukee is now the latest department forced to admit its 'safeguards' only catch misuse after the fact, if at all. That's not accountability, that's damage control.
If you live in a city running these cameras, you deserve to know who's watching the watchers — and right now, in most places, the answer is basically nobody until a reporter files a records request. Check our camera map to see what's been deployed near you, and if you want to push back on your local department or city council, our take-action page has the tools to start.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of TMJ4 News, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.