Milwaukee Residents Show Up to De-Flock Milwaukee Streets 

Milwaukee residents demanded that Flock cameras be removed from the streets at the Fire and Police Commission meeting on March 5 at Milwaukee City Hall. 

“I think that it’s a really great day when a room can be this full,” said Ajak Johnson, a resident who spoke during the meeting. “But I think that it’s also a really bad day when a room can be this full.” 

A Flock camera is an AI-powered automated license plate reader (ALPR) that captures images of vehicles that pass it, storing details like a car’s make, model, color and where it was at a certain date and time. 

There are currently 33 cameras in the Milwaukee Police Department network, and they are located within every district in the city. All cameras were installed in 2023, but the implementation process began in 2022, according to MPD. 

The call to “de-Flock” Milwaukee gained more attention after former City of Milwaukee Police Officer Josue Ayala was criminally charged for allegedly misusing the license plate recognition system.  

“We told you this would happen, and it did,” said Emilio De Torre, executive director of the Milwaukee Turners. “If you don’t reign it in, it’s going to happen again.” 

According to the criminal complaint, Ayala had searched two individuals’ license plates a total of 179 times between March 26, 2025, and May 26, 2025.  

Victim One became aware that Ayala was running their license plate after using the website www.haveibeenflocked.com, which is not an official Milwaukee Police Department website.  

The Flock camera system requires that a user enters a reason for conducting a search. According to the complaint, former officer Ayala input “investigation,” a very vague but accepted entry, for each search.  

The former officer resigned March 4, 2026, just hours before his court appearance, according to TMJ4. His case is still ongoing. 

“They let him resign. And as we know, that leads to these people being in other departments to do abuses again and again and again,” said Ron Jansen.  

Victims One and Two were in a relationship before Victim Two began to see former officer Ayala, according to the complaint. Ayala used the Flock system to check on the locations of both victims while in this relationship. 

“We don’t have to imagine the risk of surveillance abuse,” said Kaye Lafand. “We have already seen it happen locally.” 

Multiple members of Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, B.L.O.C., Milwaukee 4 Palestine and other groups spoke against MPD’s use of Flock cameras at the meeting. 

The room was packed with people holding signs reading “Get the Flock outta here – Used to abuse, not to protect.” “No AI for surveillance – Milwaukee rejects fascist tools.” and various other phrases. The public comment section of the meeting lasted around two hours. 

However, the department still finds them useful as the cameras aided them in solving cases.  

For example, authorities used Flock cameras to locate Nikita Casap, a teenager from Waukesha who was convicted of shooting his mother and stepfather before taking off in his stepfather’s car, according to the criminal complaint from 2025. 

Milwaukee Police Association President Alex Ayala condemned the misconduct of Josue Ayala, comparing it to misusing a squad vehicle. 

“But it doesn’t disregard the fact that they’re useful crime-stopping tools,” said Ayala. 

Milwaukee Flock cameras were implemented after Alex Ayala left MPD. Alex Ayala and Josue Ayala are not related. 

Security Concerns: Easy access has been shown on YouTube.  

YouTuber Benn Jordan tested the security of Flock camera systems on his YouTube channel under the same name. 

In the video, Jordan showcases multiple different ways to access the ALPR system as a regular citizen. 

With a simple sequence of pressing a button on the back of a Flock camera, it turns into a wireless connection device that seemingly anyone can pair with their computer or phone.  

MPD can also share access to the live feed and data the cameras collect with any other department or agency. 

Executive Director of the FPC Leon Todd told members of the public that the FPC is planning to audit Flock cameras this year. 

However, there haven’t been official proposals to impose tighter restrictions on the use of ALPRs. 

“An FPC recommendation to ban the use of ALPRs would reach open ears and willing minds,” said Heba Mohammad, “And I must point out that not a single comment here today has been in favor of Flock.”