Documented Incident
Milwaukee police defend Flock ALPR system after three officers investigated for misuse
First reported: August 29, 2026 · 3 sources
The Milwaukee Police Department publicly defended its use of Flock automated license plate reader cameras after three officers were investigated for misusing the system. One former officer, Josue Ayala, resigned and was convicted of using Flock to spy on a romantic partner and that partner's ex; Detective Tehrangi Chapman, who was fired, is accused by prosecutors of using the system to stalk two people; and a third officer remains on duty while internal affairs reviews an alleged policy violation, though that officer's Flock access has been revoked. Separately, the department said human error — a failure to remove a vehicle from its wanted list — led Brookfield officers to stop Amber Newell at gunpoint after a Flock alert tied to a Milwaukee homicide.
The cases test whether after-the-fact audits can meaningfully deter misuse of ALPR databases, and the wrongful stop illustrates how stale entries in a shared system can produce armed encounters with people who are not suspects.
Key facts
- Josue Ayala was convicted after allegedly running 179 searches on a current partner and that partner's ex; MPD says it tightened audits following his case and used those audits to identify the two later officers.
- MPD Risk Manager James Lewis acknowledged the department did not have adequate safeguards in place at the time of the Ayala searches.
- MPD Inspector James Hutchinson said the vehicle stopped in Brookfield had been used in a homicide but had already been towed, processed and released, and was never removed from the wanted list; he attributed the stop to human error rather than the technology.
- Newell's attorney, B'Ivory LaMarr, said she had no involvement in the homicide and lost her job as a result of the stop.
- The Milwaukee Common Council has asked MPD for answers on Flock safeguards by September 30; MPD declined to discuss the letter while preparing its response.
- MPD says Flock data is shared only with Wisconsin police agencies, not federal agencies, and that searches entered for immigration investigations will not process.
Timeline
- August 29, 2026Milwaukee police defends use of Flock cameras despite cases of misuse
- August 29, 2026Milwaukee police defend Flock cameras amid misuse investigations
Sources
This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.
- Milwaukee police defends use of Flock cameras despite cases of misuse (FOX6 News Milwaukee, August 29, 2026)
- Milwaukee police defend Flock cameras amid misuse investigations (fox6now.com, August 29, 2026)
- Milwaukee mayor announces overhaul of Flock camera use following misuse cases (WISN, August 31, 2026)
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About this record
BlockFlockNow documents reported incidents involving Flock Safety cameras and automated license plate readers: council votes, contract decisions, misuse by authorized users, lawsuits, audits, and community response. Every record is reviewed by a person before publication. New to the topic? Start with What is Flock?, find meetings near you, or learn how to request your town's camera records.
Updated August 31, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.