Documented Incident
Menasha, Wis. officer sentenced to six months in jail for personal Flock ALPR searches
Event: January 1, 2026 · First reported: August 17, 2026 · 10 sources
Cristian Morales, 32, a former Menasha Police Department officer, was sentenced Monday to six months in jail followed by three years of probation after pleading no contest to a felony misconduct in office charge for using the Flock license plate reader system for non-police purposes. According to the criminal complaint, a woman told Appleton police in October that she believed Morales was using Flock to check whether her car was where she said it would be; investigators found seven searches between October 7 and October 14, five for her vehicles and two for his brother's car. Morales told investigators he ran the searches while off duty and attributed the decision to desperation, bad judgment and lack of sleep, and said he knew it was wrong. The sentence was withheld, meaning a probation violation could result in prison; Morales was placed on administrative leave after his January arrest and later resigned.
The case illustrates how ALPR search logs can both enable and expose personal misuse of surveillance tools, and it is one of the relatively few instances where an officer has faced criminal sentencing for such searches. It also raises questions for other agencies about whether stated search justifications — one query was logged as "welfare" — are audited before a complaint is filed.
Key facts
- Sentence: six months in jail, to be served immediately, plus three years of probation under a withheld sentence.
- Charge: one count of Misconduct in Office/Excess Authority, a Class I felony in Wisconsin carrying up to 3.5 years and/or a $10,000 fine; Morales pleaded no contest.
- Investigators identified seven Flock searches between October 7 and October 14 — five for the complainant's vehicles, two for Morales' brother's car.
- The investigation was conducted by the Appleton Police Department; Morales served in Menasha but lived in Appleton.
- A stalking count was referred by police at the time of the January arrest, but court records show he was charged with the single misconduct count.
- Judge Mark Schroeder called Morales an "oath breaker" and said he abused tools given to him for public safety.
Timeline
- August 17, 2026Menasha officer gets jail, probation for misusing Flock camera system
- August 17, 2026Menasha police officer sentenced for off-duty use of Flock technology
- August 18, 2026Menasha office sentenced for abusing Flock as statewide reckoning continues
- August 18, 2026Former Menasha officer jailed after Flock misuse conviction
Sources
This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.
- Menasha officer gets jail, probation for misusing Flock camera system (WBAY, August 17, 2026)
- Menasha police officer sentenced for off-duty use of Flock technology (La Crosse Tribune, August 17, 2026)
- Menasha police officer sentenced for off-duty use of Flock technology (The Post-crescent, August 17, 2026)
- Menasha police officer sentenced for off-duty use of Flock technology (Chippewa Herald, August 17, 2026)
- Menasha office sentenced for abusing Flock as statewide reckoning continues (Apg Of Wisconsin, August 18, 2026)
- Menasha officer sentenced for abusing Flock as statewide reckoning continues (Wisconsin Examiner, August 18, 2026)
- Former Menasha officer jailed after Flock misuse conviction (NBC26, August 18, 2026)
- Menasha officer sentenced for Flock misuse (Chippewa Herald, August 19, 2026)
- Menasha officer sentenced for Flock misuse (La Crosse Tribune, August 19, 2026)
- Former Menasha officer jailed after Flock misuse conviction (Tmj4 News, August 18, 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 19, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.